The 24 Stunning Finalists for Wildlife Photographer of the Year People's Choice Award 2026

A juvenile sloth snoozes dreamily while tucked in the embrace of its mother, sheltered from pouring rain. A pod of spinner dolphins chases lanternfish. A crab hitches a ride on top of a glowing jellyfish in the dark, frigid waters of a night sea. A lion-tailed macaque races on a leaf-strewn charcoal road in India, gazing with its fierce, sapphire eyes dripping with curiosity. Each photograph tells a story that is as emotional as it is dramatic. While each of the 60,000 photographs submitted for the Nuveen People’s Choice Award is just as stunning, 24 of them have been shortlisted for the Wildlife Photographer of the Year prize this year, the world’s biggest nature photography competition, organized at the Natural History Museum in London.

If you are a wildlife enthusiast or simply a nature lover, you can scroll down the gallery of shortlisted photographs and vote for your favorite. Online voting for the public will close on March 18, and the winning image and the four runners-up will be announced on March 25.