‘A Seal’s Nightmare’: Menacing Polar Bear Photo Wins Award

Oct 15, 2026

A polar bear looks up through a circular hole in the ice from underwater. — This could be the last thing an Arctic seal ever sees. | Photo by Audun Rikardsen

The winners of the Ournature Environmental Photo & Video Awards, a competition that places environmental storytelling at its heart, have revealed its winners for 2026.

Norwegian wildlife photographer Audun Rikardsen has been named the overall winner with his remarkable photograph, A Seal’s Nightmare.

Captured from an underwater perspective, the image shows a polar bear peering through a breathing hole in the Arctic ice, looking directly into a camera positioned beneath the surface.

A young orangutan lies on a medical examination table surrounded by several pairs of gloved hands, a thermometer, and medical tools. — Alain Schroeder won the Best Photo Story for his touching work with orangutans in Sumatra.

Belgian documentary photographer Alain Schroeder received the Best Photo Story award for Saving Orangutans, a compelling visual account of efforts to rescue one of the world’s most endangered great apes.

Photographed in Sumatra, Indonesia, the series follows conservation teams working to rescue, treat, and rehabilitate orangutans affected by habitat destruction, human-wildlife conflict, and illegal wildlife trafficking.

A person wearing a light blue face mask gently nuzzles a young orangutan, who looks directly toward the camera. — Alain Schroeder

A person in medical scrubs and a face mask administers an IV to an orangutan lying on a bed inside a metal enclosure. — Alain Schroeder

A person wearing a face mask and gloves stands in a small blue boat on a river, carrying an orangutan on their back. — Alain Schroeder

Schroeder’s photographs reveal the emotional and physical challenges of wildlife rescue, from emergency interventions and veterinary care to the complex process of preparing animals for a possible return to the wild.

Combining powerful documentary storytelling with a message of hope, the series highlights the dedication of conservationists fighting to protect a species whose survival is increasingly threatened by human activity.

A group of people wearing face masks transport an orangutan in a wheelbarrow lined with a pink blanket through a forest. — Alain Schroeder

A person wearing a green face mask and uniform sits in a tree, looking up at a young orangutan perched on a branch above them. — Alain Schroeder

Other Winners

A low-angle view of a forest at night with a bright moon, golden autumn leaves, and a moth flying in the foreground. — Winner of the Carpathian Basin category. This atmospheric image reveals a hidden dimension of nocturnal wildlife. Created using a 108-second exposure, the image captures the luminous flight trails of winter moths moving through a moonlit forest. | Photo by Imre Potyo

A split-level view shows a humpback whale swimming underwater beneath a fishing boat surrounded by a large flock of seagulls at sunset. — Winner of the Our Footprints category. A humpback whale feeds beside a herring fishing vessel during the polar night, captured in a split image showing the scene both above and below the surface. Each winter, vast schools of Atlantic herring gather in the fjords of Northern Norway, attracting hundreds of humpback whales and orcas. The whales have learned that fishing vessels can provide an easy meal, allowing them to feed on concentrated herring without having to hunt. But this opportunity comes with serious risks: humpback whales can become entangled in fishing nets, causing injuries or drowning, while also damaging fishing equipment. Northern Norway. | Photo by Audun Rikardsen

An aerial view of a concentrated solar power plant with a central tower surrounded by a dense, circular array of reflective mirrors. — Winners of the Solutions category. Aerial view of the Cerro Dominador solar power plant, its central tower surrounded by a vast field of mirrors reflecting sunlight towards it. The geometric pattern of the heliostats transforms the Atacama Desert into an extraordinary technological landscape. The 210 MW complex was the first project in South America to combine concentrated solar power (CSP) with photovoltaic technology, harnessing the intense solar radiation of one of the driest and sunniest regions on Earth. Atacama Desert, Chile. | Photo by Matjaz Krivic

A great spotted woodpecker feeds its chick, which is peering out from a hole in a tree trunk in a sunlit forest. — Winner of the Pure Nature – Air category. A great spotted woodpecker returns to feed its chick in an unusually low nesting cavity in the trunk of an old oak tree. The low position of the nest offered a rare perspective on the intimate moment between parent and chick. Hornosvratecká Highlands, Czech Republic. | Photo by Jan Pokluda

The winners were honored at a ceremony held today at the Robert Capa Contemporary Photography Center in Budapest, one of Hungary’s leading institutions dedicated to contemporary photography.

A selection of winning and finalist photographs will be presented in a major outdoor exhibition at Széna Square in central Budapest.

Open 24 hours a day and free to visit, the exhibition will remain on display for approximately one month, bringing powerful environmental imagery into an accessible public space.

For details, head to the official website.

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