Photographer in People’s Choice for Wildlife Photographer of the Year

So many beautiful, creative and powerful wildlife photographs are entered into the competition every year but for the exhibition, the judges can select only 100 of the 49,957 entries from 95 countries. However, they want to showcase and celebrate more of the images and give the public the chance to get involved in the process and choose their own winner.

The photos were selected by the international jury and by staff at the Natural History Museum from the pool of images that made it to the final round of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition. The images are judged anonymously.

Claire’s photo depicts a Celebes crested macaque drinking the contents of a plastic bottle from a pile ready for recycling on a beach at the edge of Tangkoko Batuangus Nature Reserve, on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi.

Rangers had collected shockingly large piles of plastic bottles on the beach for recycling. Most of these had washed up from the sea, and despite the sizeable piles, more would soon be added. The macaques have learnt that these bottles contain liquid and are often seen chewing off the caps to reach the contents. They’ve also worked out that the coloured bottles are more likely to contain sweet liquid and so pick these preferentially. Some even carried bottles away into the forest, frustrating the rangers’ efforts!

Dr Douglas Gurr, Director of the Natural History Museum says, ‘Wildlife Photographer of the Year’s People’s Choice Award always offers an astounding selection of images, and this year is no different. We invite the public to join the jury and vote for their favourite; whether breath-taking beauty or a powerful story, it’s sure to be a difficult decision!’

Voting online is now open at www.nhm.ac.uk/wpy/peoples-choice. It closes at 14.00 (GMT) on Wednesday 31 January 2024.

The winner and top four images will be announced in February 2024 and displayed online, joining the winners of the fifty-ninth competition announced earlier this year. The People’s Choice Award images will also be showcased in the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition at the Natural History Museum in South Kensington, London, until it closes on Sunday 30 June 2024.