Badger and Banksy-style graffiti wins Wildlife Photographer of the Year People’s Choice Award

‘No Access’, a perfectly timed image of a badger glancing up at some graffiti, has won the 10th edition of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year People’s Choice Award 2024. It was taken by British photographer Ian Wood and was one of 25 nominated images for this year's People’s Choice Award. Altogether, more than 76,000 votes were cast by wildlife photography and nature fans from around the world voting for their favorite image.

In Ian's image, an ambling Eurasian badger, illuminated by a streetlight, appears to glance up at badger graffiti on a quiet road in England, UK. Residents of St Leonards-on-Sea had been leaving food scraps on the pavement for foxes, but Ian noticed that badgers from a nearby sett were also coming to forage. After seeing a badger walking along the pavement by this wall late one night, he decided to photograph it. He set up a small hide on the edge of the road to take this picture.

Director of the Natural History Museum, Dr Douglas Gurr, 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. His exceptional photograph serves as a powerful reminder that local nature and wildlife, often just outside our homes, can inspire and captivate us.”

On winning the award, Ian commented: “The outpouring of badger love since my photo was nominated for the People’s Choice Award has been beautifully overwhelming. Finding out that it has won is truly humbling. However, there is a darker side to this image. I live in rural Dorset where I’m on a re-wilding mission to enhance habitats for a huge array of wildlife. The badger cull – which is still ongoing – has decimated their numbers and I fear that unless the cull is stopped, we’ll only see badgers in urban settings in several parts of England. My hope is for this image to raise awareness of the damaging effect of the badger cull and help push for change.”

Four ‘Highly Commended’ images that also impressed wildlife lovers across the globe include: ‘Earth and Sky’ by Francisco Negroni, an unforgettable capture of a double lenticular cloud illuminated at nightfall by lava emitted from the Villarrica volcano in Chile; ‘Edge of Night’ by Jess Findlay, an action shot showing a ghostly barn owl exiting through the hayloft window of a derelict barn to hunt; ‘Whiteout’ by Michel d’Oultremont, depicting a stoat sitting up to observe its territory as it blends perfectly into a snowy landscape in Belgium; and 'Spiked’ by David Northall, which shows a bloodied yet determined honey badger returning to finish off a Cape porcupine, which had tried to defend itself earlier.

A double lenticular cloud is illuminated at nightfall by the lava emitted from the Villarrica volcano, Chile. Villarica is in the town of Pucón in the south of Chile. It’s one of the country’s most active volcanoes and last erupted in 2015. Francisco takes regular trips to Villarrica to monitor its activity. On this visit, he stayed nearby for 10 nights. He says every trip is “quite an adventure – never knowing what the volcano might surprise you with”. Some nights are calm, others furious as in this photograph, where the brightness of the crater illuminates the night sky.

A ghostly barn owl exits the hayloft window of a derelict barn to hunt in fields outside Vancouver, Canada. Jess quietly watched the owl for several nights to understand its habits. He set up an invisible beam that would trigger a flash when the owl flew out of the barn. Simultaneously, a slow shutter speed gathered ambient light cast on the clouds and barn. On the tenth night, all the moving parts came together as the owl left to begin its hunt.

A stoat sits up and observes its territory as it blends perfectly into a snowy landscape in Belgium. Michel had been looking for stoats in the snow for many years. The magic of snowfall fascinates Michel every winter. He wanted to take a photograph that showed how the stoats blend in with the whiteness of the landscape. He’d seen a few in Switzerland but never in his native Belgium. Then, finally his dream came true. He lay in the snow with a white camouflage net covering all but his lens. This curious stoat came out of its snowy hole and sat up from time to time, observing its territory just before setting off to hunt.

A bloodied yet determined honey badger returns to finish off a Cape porcupine, which earlier had tried to defend itself. Found throughout Botswana, honey badgers are famously ferocious. They often chase animals many times their own size. This honey badger got an unpleasant surprise when it attacked the normally nocturnal Cape porcupine. The badger grabbed the porcupine’s right leg. In defence, the porcupine repeatedly backed into its attacker, piercing it with many quills. During a lull in the attack, the porcupine managed to shuffle away, its leg badly damaged. After a short retreat, the bloodied badger returned. It finished off the porcupine under a bush close to the original attack then dragged it into its underground den.

Ian’s image and the four finalist ‘Highly Commended’ images were selected from a shortlist of 25 images chosen by the Natural History Museum, London, and an international judging panel from almost 60,000 images submitted for the 60th Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition.

The five images will be displayed both online and on the interactive voting screens in the flagship exhibition at the Natural History Museum, London, until June 29 2025.

Images entered into the sixty-first competition are currently being judged by an international panel of experts. The winners will be announced at the next annual awards ceremony which will take place at the Natural History Museum, London, in October 2025.

A book, Wildlife Photographer of the Year Portfolio 34, edited by Keith Wilson and with a foreword by Kathy Moran, is available for $45 / £28 / AU$55.

For more incredible competition-winning images, see the Landscape Photographer of the Year, Wildlife Photographer of the Year and Close-up Photographer of the Year results.