Polar Bear's Fierce Gaze Captured by Underwater Camera

A breathtaking image, taken from a seal's viewpoint, showcases a polar bear's intense gaze and has received high commendation in the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition. Norwegian photographer Audun Rikardsen ingeniously set up an underwater camera with a motion sensor near a seal's breathing hole in the Arctic. After waiting eight hours, a female polar bear approached and looked directly into the camera, resulting in a powerful and unique photograph.

The competition, organized by the Natural History Museum in London, features a variety of stunning wildlife photography. Other highly commended entries include "The Art of Flying" by Jack Crockford, capturing swifts in London; "Urban Wanderer" by Sora Miyazawa, featuring a toad in Tokyo; and "Lifted to the Surface" by Vegard Byrkjeland Aasen, documenting an orca carrying a deceased calf in Norway. The overall winners are set to be announced on Tuesday, October 13, 2026, with an exhibition opening shortly after.

Additional commended works highlight diverse wildlife encounters: "Biting Back" shows a mosquito on a fer-de-lance viper in Costa Rica, while "Wings of Darkness" captures a black vulture with a yacaré caiman in Brazil. "Eye of the Storm" presents a Namaqua chameleon in the Namib Desert, and "Flock of Gold" depicts thousands of red-billed queleas in Kenya. "Mutual Friends" features an oxpecker on a rhino in South Africa, and "Up a Tree without a Squirrel" shows a young leopard's failed hunt in Botswana. "Split-Second Escape" captures an African bullfrog's near miss with a butterfly in Botswana, and "Hidden Dragon" reveals a camouflaged katydid in Ecuador.