Audun Rikardsen Wins 2026 OurNature Environmental Photo & Video Award for Polar Bear Image
Audun Rikardsen, a wildlife photographer from Norway, secured the highest accolade at the 2026 OurNature Environmental Photo & Video Award for his underwater image titled "A Seal's Nightmare," featuring a polar bear captured at 83°N. After spending eight hours waiting for the bear to show up, Rikardsen slept for nine hours, which hindered him from collecting his gear. Now in its third year, the awards recognize compelling visual narratives about the connection between humans and nature. The winners were celebrated at the Robert Capa Contemporary Photography Center in Budapest, Hungary, alongside an outdoor exhibition at Széna Square. Other first-place recipients included Awais Ali Sheikh, Jan Pokluda, Imre Potyó, Marina Gavrikova, Matjaz Krivic, and Alain Schroeder, while second-place honors went to István Hogya, Vince Burton, Julián Fernandez Quilez, Tímea Ambrus, among others.
Key facts
- Audun Rikardsen won the 2026 OurNature Environmental Photo & Video Award overall prize for "A Seal's Nightmare."
- The winning image shows a polar bear looking through a seal's breathing hole in Arctic ice at 83°N.
- Rikardsen waited eight hours for the bear, which then slept for nine hours, delaying camera retrieval.
- The awards ceremony took place at the Robert Capa Contemporary Photography Center in Budapest, Hungary.
- Winning and finalist photographs are displayed outdoors at Széna Square in central Budapest for one month.
- First-place category winners include Awais Ali Sheikh, Jan Pokluda, Imre Potyó, Marina Gavrikova, Matjaz Krivic, and Alain Schroeder.
- Second-place winners include István Hogya, Vince Burton, Julián Fernandez Quilez, Tímea Ambrus, Alex Pansier, and Pawel Smolik.
- The competition is in its third year and focuses on storytelling about humanity's relationship with the natural world.
Entities
Artists
- Audun Rikardsen
- Awais Ali Sheikh
- Jan Pokluda
- Imre Potyó
- Marina Gavrikova
- Matjaz Krivic
- Alain Schroeder
- István Hogya
- Vince Burton
- Julián Fernandez Quilez
- Tímea Ambrus
- Alex Pansier
- Pawel Smolik
- Imre Potyo
Institutions
- OurNature Environmental Photo & Video Award
- Robert Capa Contemporary Photography Center
- Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Programme (SOCP)
- My Modern Met
- Ournature Environmental Photo & Video Awards
- PetaPixel
Locations
- Norway
- Pakistan
- Czechia
- Hungary
- Budapest
- Russian Federation
- Slovenia
- Belgium
- United Kingdom
- Spain
- Netherlands
- Poland
- Arctic
- Himalayas
- Atacama Desert
- South America
- Northern Norway
- Széna Square
- Sumatra
- Indonesia
- Chile
- Hornosvratecká Highlands
- Czech Republic