A nosy polar bear and a lucky squirrel: Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2026 shortlist

In this year's Wildlife Photographer of the Year shortlist, a daring polar bear approaches a motion sensor-equipped camera designed to capture a seal's perspective underwater. The Norwegian photographer, Audun Rikardsen, waited eight hours for the bear to move away before retrieving the camera and reviewing the images, ultimately thrilled with the resulting photograph.

Meanwhile, a swift returns to London after migrating from Africa, providing French photographer Andrea Grammatico with the chance to capture its aerial acrobatics. Costa Rican twins Vegard Byrkjeland Aasen and Maceo Grammatico also had a close encounter with nature when they photographed a mosquito resting on the head of a deadly fer-de-lance viper in Costa Rica.

In the Namib Desert, Dutch photographer Tom J. Tromp found a Namaqua chameleon enduring a powerful sandstorm, which made survival challenging. Hungarian photographer Bence Máté witnessed thousands of red-billed quelea birds flocking to a pond in Kenya, creating a breathtaking display of aerial movement. Finally, British photographer Chris D. Porter captured a red-billed oxpecker tending to a white rhino, highlighting the bird's role as a sentinel against potential threats.