Stunning image of a polar bear with an outsized snack wins major award
· New Scientist
Roie Galitz
2026 World Press Photo Contest
Dwarfed by her dinner, a female polar bear feasts on the carcass of a sperm whale more than 100 times her mass, a deep-diving giant weighing more than 35 tonnes and usually found far below the ocean’s surface.
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This shot, Polar Bear on Sperm Whale, was captured by Roie Galitz, and is one of the winners of the 2026 World Press Photo Contest. The image was taken from a small boat, using a drone. “Its unusual perspective and scale provoke curiosity and wonder, turning the frame into a visual and conceptual study of nature,” said the competition’s jury in an announcement about Galitz’s win.
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if( window?.adverts?.addToArray ) { window.adverts.addToArray( { "pos": "mid-article-slot" } ); }The male sperm whale carcass makes for an unusual snack when compared with polar bears’ more typical seal meal. The location of the shot is also intriguing – captured in the polar pack ice north of the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard, the shallow sea is far from the open-ocean trenches sperm whales usually inhabit. According to conservation organisation Polar Bears International, while most whales sink after dying, gas production during decomposition causes roughly 10 per cent of them to become buoyant, and their carcasses drift into shallower seas.
Although visually captivating, the shot acts as a stark reminder of the devastating effects Arctic warming is having on polar bears. Despite the bears’ best efforts at adaptation, their melting habitat presents a bleak outlook, with numbers expected to significantly decline before 2100.
The image can be seen as part of the World Press Photo Exhibition, at the MPB Gallery in London until 30 September.