Iberian Lynx Photo Wins Nuveen People’s Choice Award 2026 OR Playful Lynx Photo Crowned Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2026 OR Iberian Lynx: Stunning Photo Celebrates Conservation Success

A photograph of an Iberian lynx playfully tossing a rodent into the air has been awarded the Nuveen People’s Choice Award 2026, garnering over 85,000 votes from around the globe. The image, titled “Flying Rodent,” was captured by Austrian photographer Josef Stefan and announced as the winner on March 25, 2026.

The winning photograph depicts a young Iberian lynx engaged in a behavior common to the species – playing with its prey before consuming it. Stefan spent two weeks observing lynx from a hide in Torre de Juan Abad, Ciudad Real, Spain, documenting the feline’s actions over a 20-minute period before it finally carried the rodent away to eat.

The Iberian lynx, once critically endangered, has become a symbol of conservation success. In the early 2000s, the population dwindled to approximately 100 individuals in isolated pockets of habitat within Spain, with only 62 considered mature enough to breed, according to researchers at the Natural History Museum, London.

Several factors contributed to the lynx’s decline. Habitat loss, stemming from the disappearance of open scrubland and oak woodland, reduced suitable living spaces. Human persecution, based on the mistaken belief that lynx preyed on livestock, also played a role. Critically, outbreaks of disease decimated rabbit populations – the lynx’s primary food source – during the 20th century.

Conservation efforts, intensified after the species was declared Critically Endangered in 2002, focused on creating habitat corridors, restoring degraded land, and protecting rabbit populations. A captive breeding and reintroduction program proved particularly successful. Kittens born in captivity were trained to hunt and avoid human contact before being released into the wild.

These initiatives led to the establishment of seven new Iberian lynx populations across Spain and Portugal, resulting in a 1,500% increase in the overall lynx population over a 20-year period. “This is a remarkable achievement that required collaboration among scientists, government agencies, NGOs and local communities,” said Dr. Natalie Cooper, a researcher at the Natural History Museum, London.

Stefan expressed that capturing the winning image was a long-held dream. “The Iberian lynx is a living symbol of hope, showing what can happen when we take responsibility, act consciously and focus our attention where it’s most needed,” he stated. “Winning this award and being able to platform this message is the highlight of my 30 years as a nature photographer.”

The Nuveen People’s Choice Award shortlist also included images of flamingos against a backdrop of power lines in Namibia, captured by Alexandre Brisson, and a polar bear family resting on the Hudson Bay coast in Canada, photographed by Christopher Paetkau. Will Nicholls’ image of bear cubs play-fighting in Jasper National Park, Canada, and Kohei Nagira’s photograph of a sika deer carrying the head of a rival were also highly commended.