“No Access” by Ian Wood (UK). Winner, People’s Choice Award
“An ambling Eurasian badger, illuminated by a streetlight, appears to glance up at badger graffiti on a quiet road in England, UK.
Residents of St Leonards-on-Sea had been leaving food scraps on the pavement for foxes, but Ian noticed that badgers from a nearby sett were also coming to forage. After seeing a badger walking along the pavement by this wall late one night, he decided to photograph it. He set up a small hide on the edge of the road to take this picture.”
A clever photo of a badger looking at a piece of badger graffiti won Ian Wood the People’s Choice Award at the 2024 Wildlife Photographer of the Year contest. Wood beat out 25 finalists with a record number of votes in a contest that saw over 76,000 people cast their votes.
Wood captured the moment after observing badgers eating food scraps locals had set out. He then set up a hide to get his desired image, with the badger turning his head in what we can imagine is confusion at his “friend” painted on the wall. After his image was nominated, Wood was thrilled about the feedback he received from the public. But he also hopes that the cute photo will bring attention to more serious issues that urban badgers are facing.
“I live in rural Dorset where I’m on a re-wilding mission to enhance habitats for a huge array of wildlife,” he shares. “The badger cull—which is still ongoing—has decimated their numbers, and I fear that unless the cull is stopped, we’ll only see badgers in urban settings in several parts of England. My hope is for this image to raise awareness of the damaging effect of the badger cull and help push for change.”
For Dr. Douglas Gurr, director of the National History Museum, who organized the contest, Wood’s image highlights the magical co-existence that can occur when animals live in urban spaces.
“Ian’s flawlessly timed image offers a unique glimpse of nature’s interaction with the human world, underscoring the importance of understanding urban wildlife,” shares Dr. Douglas Gurr, director of the Natural History Museum, which runs the competition. “His exceptional photograph serves as a powerful reminder that local nature and wildlife, often just outside our homes, can inspire and captivate us.”
In addition to Wood’s winning image, the contest also highlighted four Highly Commended images that made an impression on the public. This includes Francisco Negroni‘s stunning photo of a double lenticular cloud circling an active volcano in Chile and Michel d’Oultremont‘s image of a white stout blending perfectly into its snowy surroundings.
The 2024 Wildlife Photographer of the Year contest has revealed the People’s Choice Award winner and highly commended images.
“Earth and Sky” by Francisco Negroni (Chile). Highly commended
“A double lenticular cloud is illuminated at nightfall by the lava emitted from the Villarrica volcano, Chile. Villarica is in the town of Pucón in the south of Chile. It’s one of the country’s most active volcanoes, and last erupted in 2015. Francisco takes regular trips to Villarrica to monitor its activity. On this visit, he stayed nearby for 10 nights. He says every trip is “quite an adventure – never knowing what the volcano might surprise you with.” Some nights are calm, others furious as in this photograph, where the brightness of the crater illuminates the night sky.”
“Edge of Night” by Jess Findlay (Canada). Highly commended
“A ghostly barn owl exits the hayloft window of a derelict barn to hunt in fields outside Vancouver, Canada. Jess quietly watched the owl for several nights to understand its habits. He set up an invisible beam that would trigger a flash when the owl flew out of the barn. Simultaneously, a slow shutter speed gathered ambient light cast on the clouds and barn. On the tenth night, all the moving parts came together as the owl left to begin its hunt.”
“Spiked” by David Northall (UK). Highly commended
“A bloodied yet determined honey badger returns to finish off a Cape porcupine, which earlier had tried to defend itself. Found throughout Botswana, honey badgers are famously ferocious. They often chase animals many times their own size. This honey badger got an unpleasant surprise when it attacked the normally nocturnal Cape porcupine. The badger grabbed the porcupine’s right leg. In defense, the porcupine repeatedly backed into its attacker, piercing it with many quills. During a lull in the attack, the porcupine managed to shuffle away, its leg badly damaged. After a short retreat, the bloodied badger returned. It finished off the porcupine under a bush close to the original attack, then dragged it into its underground den.”
“Whiteout” by Michel d’Oultremont (Belgium). Highly commended
“A stoat sits up and observes its territory as it blends perfectly into a snowy landscape in Belgium. Michel had been looking for stoats in the snow for many years. The magic of snowfall fascinates Michel every winter. He wanted to take a photograph that showed how the stoats blend in with the whiteness of the landscape. He’d seen a few in Switzerland but never in his native Belgium. Then, finally, his dream came true. He lay in the snow with a white camouflage net covering all but his lens. This curious stoat came out of its snowy hole and sat up from time to time, observing its territory just before setting off to hunt.”