A striking photograph of a polar bear peering into a seal's breathing hole has been recognized as a 'highly commended' entry in the prestigious Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2026 competition. The image, taken by Norwegian wildlife photographer Audun Rikardsen, offers a rare glimpse into the Arctic ecosystem from a seal's perspective.
Rikardsen, who works as a guide with Arctic Wildlife Tours, set up an underwater camera equipped with a motion sensor beneath a seal's known breathing hole. The rig captured the moment a female polar bear approached and looked down into the water. Rikardsen then waited eight hours for the bear to leave the vicinity before retrieving the camera and discovering the remarkable shot.
"I was so extremely happy. I was screaming, so I probably woke up all the polar bears for miles," Rikardsen stated upon reviewing the captured images.
This is not Rikardsen's first encounter with recognition from the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition. He previously won categories for Birds in 2019 and Oceans: The Bigger Picture in 2025.
The overall winners of the 2026 competition are scheduled to be announced on Tuesday, October 13, 2026. An exhibition featuring the winning and commended photographs will open at the Natural History Museum in London on Friday, October 16, 2026.