Norwegian photographer Audun Rikardsen has won the 2026 OurNature Environmental Photo & Video Award with "A Seal's Nightmare," a polar bear staring down into a seal's breathing hole in the Arctic ice. It caps a big autumn for the series: a companion frame, "A Seal's Last Sight," won the Grand Prize at BigPicture: Natural World Photography Competition in September.
The image is shot from the water's surface, so the viewer sees what a seal would see in its last moment. Discover Wildlife reports that another frame from the series is shortlisted for Wildlife Photographer of the Year, whose 2026 winners we covered here.
Who won OurNature 2026? Category winners
| Category | Winner | Image |
|---|---|---|
| Image of the Year | Audun Rikardsen (Norway) | A Seal's Nightmare |
| Pure Nature – Water | Audun Rikardsen (Norway) | A Seal's Nightmare |
| Pure Nature – Land | Awais Ali Sheikh (Pakistan) | Hidden In Plain Sight |
| Pure Nature – Air | Jan Pokluda (Czechia) | The Busy Feeder |
| Our Footprints | Audun Rikardsen (Norway) | Dinner is Served! |
| Carpathian Basin | Imre Potyó (Hungary) | Moonlight |
| Young Photographers | Marina Gavrikova (Russia) | Among the Tall Reeds |
| Solutions | Matjaz Krivic (Slovenia) | Cerro Dominador |
| Stories or Portfolio | Alain Schroeder (Belgium) | Saving Orangutans |
The 2026 contest, its third edition, drew more than 2,100 entries from 35 countries. Winners were celebrated at the Robert Capa Contemporary Photography Center in Budapest.
Why is the photo so striking?
Most polar bear pictures look at the bear. This one puts you in the prey's position, looking up through a hole in the ice at a bear's face. The drift ice north of Svalbard is one of the few places where that perspective is possible. Reaching it means working at the water's surface in some of the planet's harshest conditions.
What did the image win at BigPicture?
At the California Academy of Sciences' 13th BigPicture competition, "A Seal's Last Sight" took the Grand Prize from more than 7,400 entries from 64 countries. Other BigPicture 2026 winners included:
| BigPicture category | Winner | Image |
|---|---|---|
| Aquatic Life | Anton Sorokin | Egg Clutch |
| Art of Nature | Georgina Steytler | Insect Art |
| Winged Life | Philipp Egger | Born of Silence |
| Terrestrial Wildlife | Marco Gaiotti | The Leap |
| Human/Nature | Fernando Faciole | Orphan of the Road |
| Landscapes, Waterscapes and Flora | Juan Garcia Lucas | The Cave of Illusion |
| Photo Story | Ami Vitale | Pandas Gone Wild |
Where can you see the photos?
- Budapest: OurNature winners and finalists are on display, free, at Széna Square, open 24 hours a day for about a month.
- San Francisco: BigPicture winners and finalists are on view at the California Academy of Sciences from September 10, 2026.
