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Poignant picture of sleeping polar bear wins Wildlife Photographer of the Year People's Choice Award
The image of the polar bear that won the Wildlife Photographer of the Year People's Choice Award was captured by amateur photographer Nima Sarikhani.
An image of a polar bear sleeping on a small iceberg has bagged the 2023 Wildlife Photographer of the Year People's Choice Award. As per reports, Nima Sarikhani, the winner, captured the image after searching for polar bears for three days on Norwegian islands.
Each year, this photography competition is organised by the Natural History Museum. The organisation also shared a blog about the pictures that made it to the top of the list in the recently concluded competition.
About the photo of the sleeping polar bear:
Sarikhani’s picture called the 'Ice Bed' was ‘crowned champion following a contest in which a record 75,000 people voted’. While talking about this accomplishment, the photographer told the museum, “I am so honoured to have won this year's People’s Choice award for Wildlife Photography of the Year, the most prestigious wildlife photography competition. This photograph has stirred strong emotions in many of those who have seen it”.
“Whilst climate change is the biggest challenge we face, I hope that this photograph also inspires hope. There is still time to fix the mess we have caused,” he added.
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“Nima’s breathtaking and poignant image allows us to see the beauty and fragility of our planet,” said Dr Douglas Gurr, the Director of the Natural History Museum.
‘His thought-provoking image is a stark reminder of the integral bond between an animal and its habitat and serves as a visual representation of the detrimental impacts of climate warming and habitat loss,” the director added.
A glimpse at the other photographs:
The photographs submitted to the competition by people from across the world were regularly shared on the official X handle dedicated to the contest.
Here is a glimpse of several images, including the one that won:
These images, shared in a tweet, capture animals and insects of different species ‘talking’ to each other:
Other than ‘Ice Bed', ‘The Happy Turtle’ by Tzahi Finkelstein and ‘Starling Murmuration’ by Daniel Dencescu were highly commended. As for Sarikhani’s work, it will be displayed in the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition until June 30 in South Kensington in Central London.
