These 25 award-winning photos show just how majestic polar bears are

Matthew WilsonApr 22, 2020, 22:35 IST

A family of polar bears chill out in the snow.Tin Man Lee/Nature's Best Photography Awards

Photography competitions around the world have celebrated stunning images of polar bears, while helping to educate the public about these majestic creatures.
There are an estimated 22,000 to 31,000 polar bears in the world.
The marine mammals adapted to thrive in the frigid temperatures of the Arctic, but due to climate change affecting their habitats, their way of life is threatened.
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Everyone loves polar bears. From soft drink commercials to dancing viral memes, they've fascinated us time and time again — and they've captured photographers' hearts too.

Over the years, nature photographers have documented these majestic marine mammals in their natural habitats and have also chronicled the heartbreaking effects climate change has had on their survival. The resulting photographs have been celebrated by wildlife photography competitions such as Nature's Best Photography Awards.

This Earth Day, take a moment to appreciate polar bears with these award-winning photos, as well as facts about them that you may not know.

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Due to the changes in sea ice formation, polar bears were listed in the US as a threatened species in 2008.

Highly Honored in Nature's Best Photography Awards. @ Jayanand Govindaraj/Nature's Best Photography Awards

Disruptions in their food supply may increase polar bears' interactions with humans as they travel south.

Nature's Best Photography Windland Smith Rice International Awards winner. Florian Schulz/Nature's Best Photography Awards

Climate change is causing Arctic sea ice to melt sooner and freeze later, affecting polar bears' feeding and breeding habits.

Highly Honored in Nature's Best Photography Awards. Florian Ledoux/Nature's Best Photography Awards

Polar bears are naturally curious creatures who aren't afraid of humans, as evidenced by this photo captured by Roie Galitz.

Highly Honored in Nature's Best Photography Awards. Roie Galitz/Nature's Best Photography Awards

They can swim up to six miles per hour. National Geographic's 2013 Photography Contest Grand Prize winner, Paul Souders, captured a polar bear coming to the surface.

National Geographic's 2013 Photography Contest Grand Prize winner. Paul Souders/National Geographic Photo Contest

Polar bears love to keep themselves clean and frequently groom after feeding.

2016 Memorial Maria Luisa 1st Place Winner. Arnfinn Johansen/arnfinnjohansen.com

A polar bear can eat 15 to 20% of its own body weight in food. Polar bears typically hunt and eat seals in the Arctic.

Highly Commended in 2017 Memorial Maria Luisa. Arnfinn Johansen/arnfinnjohansen.com

Polar bears often communicate with each other through their noses. Photographer Jon Cornforth got up-close with one in this image.

Highly Honored in Nature's Best Photography Awards. Jon Cornforth/Nature's Best Photography Awards

Polar bears, like this one captured by Joshua Holko, love to take naps and do so frequently to conserve energy.

Highly Honored in Nature's Best Photography Awards. Joshua Holko/Nature's Best Photography Awards

Aggressive fights between polar bears do occur during mating season or food scarcity.

Highly Honored in Nature's Best Photography Awards. Diane McAllister/Nature's Best Photography Awards

Adult polar bears engage in a form of roughhousing, mock fighting each other as a form of entertainment.

Highly Honored in Nature's Best Photography Awards. Shayne McGuire/Nature's Best Photography Awards

Female polar bears raise their cubs alone and are extremely protective of their young — and as this photo by Debra Garside shows, it's a mutual affection.

Highly Honored in Nature's Best Photography Awards. Debra Garside/Nature's Best Photography Awards

Mother and cubs emerge from their dens in the spring when the cub is strong enough to survive a trip across the sea ice.

Highly Honored in Nature's Best Photography Awards. Yves Adams/Nature's Best Photography Awards

In the winter, female polar bears will dig dens for themselves and their soon-to-be cubs. Here, a mom captured by Daisy Gilardini cuddles her cubs in the snow.

2016 Nature's Best Photography Windland Smith Rice International Awards Grand Prize winner. Daisy Gilardini/Nature's Best Photography Awards

In the spring months, polar bears will mate on the sea ice, but the female doesn't become pregnant until the fall.

Highly Honored in Nature's Best Photography Awards. Robert Sabin/Nature's Best Photography Awards

This photo by Joshua Holko of one of the world's estimated 22,000 to 31,000 polar bears was highly honored in Nature's Best Photography Awards.

Highly Honored in Nature's Best Photography Awards. Joshua Holko/Nature's Best Photography Awards

Some of the nicknames given to polar bears over the years have been Lord of the Arctic, old man in the fur cloak, and white sea deer.

Highly Commended in 2014 Nature's Best Windland Smith Rice International Awards. Arnfinn Johansen/arnfinnjohansen.com

When they're born, a polar bear cub weighs about the size of a guinea pig.

2005 Nature's Best Photography Windland Smith Rice International Awards Grand Prize winner. Thorsten Milse/Nature's Best Photography Awards

A 4-inch layer of fat keeps polar bears warm. This image by Eric Coomes shows one drying off after an icy plunge.

2010 Nature's Best Photography Windland Smith Rice International Awards Youth winner. Eric Coomes/Nature's Best Photography Awards

Polar bears travel at around three miles per hour but can accelerate to 24 miles per hour for short bursts. In this photo by Andy Rouse, a polar bear stops to pose for a picture.

Highly Honored in Nature's Best Photography Awards. Andy Rouse/Nature's Best Photography Awards

Polar bears travel at around three miles per hour but can accelerate to 24 miles per hour for short bursts. In this photo by Andy Rouse, a polar bear stops to pose for a picture.

A recently grown polar bear may travel hundreds of miles from its mother to establish its own home and area to hunt in.

Highly Commended in 2013 Memorial Maria Luisa. Arnfinn Johansen/arnfinnjohansen.com

They have two layers of fur and a thick layer of fat to protect them against the harsh conditions. Photographer Ying Gu captured a mom and cub battling frosty winds.

2017 Nature's Best Photography Windland Smith Rice Award winner. Ying Gu/Nature's Best Photography Awards

Winter temperatures in the Arctic can be as low as -50 degrees Fahrenheit for weeks on end. In this image, Johansen captured a polar bear traversing its icy home.

Highly Commended in Monochrome Photography Awards 2014. Arnfinn Johansen/arnfinnjohansen.com

Polar bears live in the Arctic circle in five countries. This highly commended image by Arnfinn Johansen shows one polar bear surveying its extreme surroundings.

Highly Commended in the 2014 Memorial Maria Luisa and 2015 Nordic Nature Photo Contest. Arnfinn Johansen/arnfinnjohansen.com

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These 25 award-winning photos show just how majestic polar bears are

Due to the changes in sea ice formation, polar bears were listed in the US as a threatened species in 2008.

Disruptions in their food supply may increase polar bears' interactions with humans as they travel south.

Climate change is causing Arctic sea ice to melt sooner and freeze later, affecting polar bears' feeding and breeding habits.

Polar bears are naturally curious creatures who aren't afraid of humans, as evidenced by this photo captured by Roie Galitz.

They can swim up to six miles per hour. National Geographic's 2013 Photography Contest Grand Prize winner, Paul Souders, captured a polar bear coming to the surface.

Polar bears love to keep themselves clean and frequently groom after feeding.

A polar bear can eat 15 to 20% of its own body weight in food. Polar bears typically hunt and eat seals in the Arctic.

Polar bears often communicate with each other through their noses. Photographer Jon Cornforth got up-close with one in this image.

Polar bears, like this one captured by Joshua Holko, love to take naps and do so frequently to conserve energy.

Aggressive fights between polar bears do occur during mating season or food scarcity.

Adult polar bears engage in a form of roughhousing, mock fighting each other as a form of entertainment.

Female polar bears raise their cubs alone and are extremely protective of their young — and as this photo by Debra Garside shows, it's a mutual affection.

Mother and cubs emerge from their dens in the spring when the cub is strong enough to survive a trip across the sea ice.

In the winter, female polar bears will dig dens for themselves and their soon-to-be cubs. Here, a mom captured by Daisy Gilardini cuddles her cubs in the snow.

In the spring months, polar bears will mate on the sea ice, but the female doesn't become pregnant until the fall.

This photo by Joshua Holko of one of the world's estimated 22,000 to 31,000 polar bears was highly honored in Nature's Best Photography Awards.

Some of the nicknames given to polar bears over the years have been Lord of the Arctic, old man in the fur cloak, and white sea deer.

When they're born, a polar bear cub weighs about the size of a guinea pig.

A 4-inch layer of fat keeps polar bears warm. This image by Eric Coomes shows one drying off after an icy plunge.

Polar bears travel at around three miles per hour but can accelerate to 24 miles per hour for short bursts. In this photo by Andy Rouse, a polar bear stops to pose for a picture.

A recently grown polar bear may travel hundreds of miles from its mother to establish its own home and area to hunt in.

They have two layers of fur and a thick layer of fat to protect them against the harsh conditions. Photographer Ying Gu captured a mom and cub battling frosty winds.

Winter temperatures in the Arctic can be as low as -50 degrees Fahrenheit for weeks on end. In this image, Johansen captured a polar bear traversing its icy home.

Polar bears live in the Arctic circle in five countries. This highly commended image by Arnfinn Johansen shows one polar bear surveying its extreme surroundings.