Sometimes the winning wildlife shot is all grace. This year, it was a wild cat batting a rat into the air.
An image of an Iberian lynx playing with its prey has won the Wildlife Photographer of the Year People’s Choice Award for 2026, after more than 85,000 people voted in the annual contest organised by London’s Natural History Museum.
The photo shows the lynx standing on its hind legs with one paw flung out, appearing playful and predatory as it bats around a rodent before killing and eating it.
The winning image was taken by Austrian photographer Josef Stefan at Torre de Juan Abad in central Spain, after he spent three days camouflaged in a hide waiting for the animal.
The People’s Choice shortlist included 24 photos, selected from 60,636 entries. It is separate from the overall competition, whose winner was announced in October.
Stefan told CNN the lynx only appeared briefly during his time in the hide.
“During that period, the lynx made ‘brief appearances from time to time,’” Stefan told CNN.
He said the key moment came without warning.
“On the second day, this special moment came completely unexpectedly; he suddenly appeared with a freshly caught rat in his mouth, lay down near me, and remained there attentively for a while.”
Soon after, the lynx started playing with the prey.
“He repeatedly tossed the rat into the air, skillfully caught it, and occupied himself with it for about 15 to 20 minutes. Finally, he lost interest, grabbed the rat, and disappeared behind a bush, where he ate it,” Stefan said.
The animal then returned.
“About 20 minutes later, he reappeared: calmly, almost proudly, he walked past my hide and finally disappeared into the adjacent bushland.”
The image also draws attention to a species that was once pushed close to collapse.
Iberian lynxes, known for their tufted ears and spotted red-brown fur, were once among the most endangered mammals after being hunted by humans who mistakenly believed they killed livestock, and as scrubland and woodland habitats declined.
Stefan recalled that at that time they were “practically impossible” to photograph.
Natalie Cooper, a researcher at the Natural History Museum, said numbers in Spain fell to about 100 in the early 2000s.
“Only 62 of these were mature individuals,” she added in a statement released by the Natural History Museum on Wednesday.
According to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, intensive conservation efforts lifted the number of mature Iberian lynxes to about 648 in 2022.
Stefan said the species is still elusive, but no longer feels out of reach.
“With patience, knowledge of their habitats, and a bit of luck, these fascinating animals can once again be observed –– and sometimes even photographed.”
He said the lynx now carries a wider meaning.
“The lynx is therefore not only a rare subject but also a powerful symbol of how effective nature conservation can be.”
