A striking photograph of a polar bear peering down a breathing hole in the Arctic ice has won the Environmental Photo & Video category at the “Our Nature Environmental Photo & Video Awards 2026.”
Sea-news.az reports that the winning photo by Audun Rikardsen, titled “The Seal’s Nightmare,” captures the bear looking directly into a camera lens positioned beneath the ice.
Taken off the coast of Svalbard, the shot was inspired by a previous incident where a polar bear accidentally pushed Rikardsen’s camera into the sea after it took several automatic “selfies.” The competition drew over 2,100 entries from 35 countries, aiming to leverage photography to raise public awareness and foster positive environmental action.
