It’s hard to choose. There’s the red squirrel that appears to be leaping with glee and monkeys sweetly cuddling a baby. There’s the herd of elephants protecting a (relatively) tiny calf and a black bear cub and a bald eagle sharing a tree.
These are some of the finalists for the People’s Choice Award from the Wildlife Photographer of the Year. They were chosen from more than 50,000 images from 95 countries.
The shortlist includes “Breath of an Arctic fox” above, by Marco Gaiotti of Italy. The organizers of the competition describe the image:
Voting starts now for the People’s Choice competition and the winner will be announced in February. Wildlife Photographer of the Year is developed and produced by the Natural History Museum, London.
‘The People’s Choice Award offers striking observations of nature and our relationship with it, sparking our curiosity and strengthening our connection with the natural world,” says Natalie Cooper, researcher at the Natural History Museum and member of the judging panel. “It’s an incredible challenge to pick just one of these images, so we’re looking forward to discovering which wild moment emerges as the public’s favourite.”
Here’s a look at some of the finalists and what the contest organizers had to say about each image. You can see all the 25 shortlisted finalists and vote for your favorite for the People Choice Award.
“Dancing in the snow”
Qiang Guo, China
“Lynx cub licking”
Antonio Liebanna Navarro, Spain
“Shelter from the rain”
Ashleigh McCord, U.S.
“The eagle and the bear”
Jeroen Hoekendijk, The Netherlands
“The jump”
Karl Samitsch, Austria
“Monkey cuddle”
Zhang Qiang, China
“All together”
Ly Dang, USA
“Hope in a burned plantation”
Jo-Anne McArthur, Canada
“Stay close”
Maxime Aliaga, France
“The ice bear cometh…”
Andy Skillen, U.K.
“Bonds of love”
Peter Delaney, Ireland / South Africa
“Jaguar of ashes”
Ernane Junior, Brazil
“Life in black and white”
Lucas Bustamante, Ecuador
“The future in her hands”
Joan de la Malla, Spain
“Barracudas”
Yung Sen Wu, Taiwan
