LONDON — In a celebration of nature’s quiet resilience and its unexpected intersections with the human world, British photographer Ian Wood has claimed the top honor at the tenth edition of the prestigious Wildlife Photographer of the Year People’s Choice Award for 2024.
His winning entry, titled “No Access,” features a flawlessly timed photograph of an ambling Eurasian badger pausing to glance upward beneath a streetlamp in St Leonards-on-Sea, England. The creature stands against a backdrop of urban graffiti, creating a striking visual commentary on the coexistence of wildlife within concrete environments.
The announcement follows a global outpouring of public participation. More than 76,000 nature enthusiasts and wildlife photography fans from across the world cast their votes for their favorite among 25 shortlisted images, setting a new record for the People’s Choice category.
Main Facts: The Triumph of “No Access”
The landmark win places Ian Wood among the elite ranks of international nature photographers. Selected from a competitive pool of nearly 60,000 entries submitted globally for the milestone sixtieth edition of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition, Wood’s photograph captured the imagination of tens of thousands of voters.
The winning image was captured on a quiet suburban street in St Leonards-on-Sea, a coastal town in East Sussex. Illumination from a single overhead lamppost cuts through the nocturnal darkness, casting a warm glow over the badger as it investigates its surroundings. The juxtaposition of a wild mammal against human-made infrastructure encapsulates the shifting boundaries between rural habitats and expanding human settlements.
While the aesthetic appeal of the photograph is undeniable, Wood has been vocal about the deeper, more somber narrative embedded within the frame. Far from being a simple celebration of urban wildlife adaptability, the photographer views the image as a critical warning regarding the systematic decimation of rural badger populations across the British countryside.
Chronology: From Pavement Foraging to Global Recognition
The journey of “No Access” from a quiet English street corner to the grand halls of the Natural History Museum in London is a testament to patience, fieldcraft, and serendipity.
The Genesis of the Encounter
The story began when local residents in St Leonards-on-Sea started leaving food scraps on pavements to feed urban foxes. Over time, Ian Wood noticed that foxes were not the only beneficiaries of this urban generosity. Badgers from a nearby established sett were increasingly venturing out of their traditional woodland and rural boundaries to forage in the suburban environment.
Recognizing a unique behavioral pattern, Wood observed a badger regularly patrolling a specific route along a pavement bordered by a graffitied wall late at night. Determined to document the behavior without disturbing the animal, he established a small, unobtrusive hide on the edge of the road, patiently waiting for the right moment under the cover of darkness.
The Winning Shot
On the night of the capture, everything aligned. As the badger ambled down the pavement, illuminated entirely by the amber glow of the local lamppost, it momentarily raised its head. Wood’s shutter clicked at the exact fraction of a second needed to immortalize the creature’s inquisitive gaze against the human-made backdrop.
Nomination and Victory
The image was initially submitted to the main Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition, where it successfully passed through the preliminary screening by the Natural History Museum’s international judging panel. Placed among the top 25 shortlisted images for the People’s Choice Award, the photograph was opened to public voting, ultimately outperforming formidable global competition to secure the overall title.
Supporting Data: The Scale of the Competition
The Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition, developed and produced by the Natural History Museum in London, remains the gold standard for global nature photography.
- Total Submissions: Nearly 60,000 entries were received from amateur and professional photographers of all ages worldwide for the landmark 60th competition cycle.
- The Shortlist: An international panel of expert judges meticulously narrowed the massive pool down to a shortlist of just 25 exceptional images for the People’s Choice Award.
- Voter Turnout: A record-breaking 76,000+ individuals participated in the public vote, reflecting the growing global engagement with environmental conservation through visual arts.
- Exhibition Run: The winning photograph, alongside four highly commended entries, is currently on display online and via interactive voting screens at the flagship exhibition at the Natural History Museum in London through June 29, 2025.
Official Responses and Perspectives
The announcement of the People’s Choice Award winner drew widespread praise from cultural leaders and the photographic community alike, while also serving as a platform for urgent environmental advocacy.
Dr. Douglas Gurr, Director of the Natural History Museum
Dr. Douglas Gurr lauded Wood’s ability to capture the complex relationship between humanity and the natural world.
"Ian’s flawlessly timed image offers a unique glimpse of nature’s interaction with the human world, underscoring the importance of understanding urban wildlife," Dr. Gurr stated. "His exceptional photograph serves as a powerful reminder that local nature and wildlife, often just outside our homes, can inspire and captivate us."
Ian Wood on the Reality Behind the Lens
While expressing profound gratitude for the public’s warm reception of his work, Ian Wood used his platform to address the precarious state of badgers in the United Kingdom. Speaking from his home in rural Dorset, where he is actively engaged in landscape rewilding initiatives, Wood offered a sobering perspective on why badgers are increasingly found in urban environments.
"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," Wood explained.
"I live in rural Dorset where I’m on a rewilding 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."
The Highly Commended Finalists
Alongside Wood’s victorious badger portrait, four other stunning images captured the imaginations of voters, earning "Highly Commended" status in the 2024 People’s Choice Award:
- "Earth and Sky" by Francisco Negroni (Chile): A mesmerizing nocturnal capture of a double lenticular cloud dramatically illuminated from below by rivers of glowing lava cascading from the Villarrica volcano.
- "Edge of Night" by Jess Findlay: A masterclass in high-speed action photography, showcasing a ghostly barn owl as it bursts through the hayloft window of a derelict barn to begin its nightly hunt.
- "Whiteout" by Michel d’Oultremont (Belgium): A minimalist yet evocative portrait of a solitary stoat sitting upright to survey its snowy domain, its winter coat providing almost total camouflage against a stark white background.
- "Spiked" by David Northall: A gritty and raw portrayal depicting a bloodied yet resolute honey badger returning unflinchingly to finish a confrontation with a Cape porcupine that had earlier attempted to defend itself using its formidable quills.
Implications: Photography as a Catalyst for Conservation
The overarching mission of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition has always transcended mere aesthetics. By harnessing the emotive power of visual storytelling, the institution aims to forge enduring bonds between humanity and the natural environment, transforming observers into active advocates for the planet.
Wood’s photograph serves as a micro-case study of this mission. On one hand, it highlights the adaptability of species forced to navigate human encroachment. On the other hand, by drawing attention to systemic policy issues like the badger cull, the image transcends its artistic merit to become a political and ecological touchstone.
As entries for the sixty-first competition undergo rigorous evaluation by the next international panel of experts—with winners slated for announcement at the Natural History Museum in October 2025—“No Access” stands as a poignant reminder of what is at stake. It challenges viewers to look past the asphalt and streetlamps and confront the fragile reality facing Britain’s native fauna both inside and outside our towns and cities.
