Badger admiring Banksy-style badger wins Wildlife Photographer People’s Choice Award

An “ambling Eurasian badger” admiring a badger artwork in the style of British street artist Banksy has won the Natural History Museum’s 2024 Wildlife Photographer of the Year People’s Choice Award.

Members of the public were asked to vote on their favourite of 25 shortlisted pictures, and Ian Wood’s ‘No Access’ was crowned the favourite. 

A record-breaking 76,000 votes were counted for the award.

The British photographer took the shot in St Leonards-on-sea, and this picture was described by the Natural History Museum as: “An ambling Eurasian badger, illuminated by a streetlight, appears to glance up at badger graffiti on a quiet road in England, UK.” 

Dr. Douglas Gurr, the museum’s director, said: “Ian’s flawlessly timed image offers a unique glimpse of nature’s interaction with the human world, underscoring the importance of understanding urban wildlife.” 

In addition to the winning image, four other finalists were highly commended, and all five images will be displayed online and at London’s Natural History Museum until 29 June.

Here are the other pictures:  

Jess Findlay’s ‘Edge of Night’ (Canada): “A ghostly barn owl exits the hayloft window of a derelict barn to hunt in fields outside Vancouver, Canada,” according to the NHM .  

Michel d’Oultremont’s ‘Whiteout’ (Belgium), showing the moment when a stoat “sits up and observes its territory as it blends perfectly into a snowy landscape in Belgium”. 

Francisco Negroni’s ‘Earth and Sky’ (Chile), showing lava coming from a Chilean volcano.  

David Northall’s ‘Spiked’ (UK), showing “a bloodied yet determined honey badger returns to finish off a Cape porcupine, which earlier had tried to defend itself”. 

Check out all the 25 shortlisted pictures here.