A polar bear in Norway’s Svalbard archipelago, which has been shortlisted for the Wildlife Photographer of the Year People’s Choice Award (Picture: Nima Sarikhani/Wildlife Photographer of the Year/PA)

It’s that time of year again, the snaps for the Natural History Museum’s Wildlife Photographer of the Year are in – and they highlight just how sublime the natural world can be.

This year’s photos don’t disappoint, delivering on cuteness, comedy and everything in between.

Some of them also carry a more harrowing reminder of how important it is to protect our planet.

From lionesses doting on cubs to a smug-looking wolf, these pictures have been taken from all corners of the globe and the public are being urged to vote for their winning image to take this year’s crown.

A Balkan pond turtle with a northern banded groundling dragonfly in Israel’s Jezreel Valley, which has been shortlisted for the Wildlife Photographer of the Year People’s Choice Award (Picture: Tzahi Finkelstein/Wildlife Photographer/PA)

Lions in South Africa’s Greater Kruger National Park, which has been shortlisted for the Wildlife Photographer of the Year People’s Choice Award. (Picture: Gerald Hinde/Wildlife Photographer/PA)

A grizzly bear in the Chilko River, British Columbia, Canada, which has been shortlisted for the Wildlife Photographer of the Year People’s Choice Award (Picture: John E. Marriott/Wildlife Photographer PA)

As well as fascinating animals, photographers have also captured stunning surroundings, with jellyfishes swimming with the Northern Lights as their backdrop, alongside a polar bear snoozing on an enormous iceberg.

The pictures have been chosen by the Natural History Museum and a judging panel from nearly 50,000 entries from 95 countries.

A snowshoe hare in the Rocky Mountain National Park, USA, which has been shortlisted for the Wildlife Photographer of the Year People’s Choice Award (Picture: Deena Sveinsson/Wildlife Photographer/PA)

Moon jellyfish swarm in the waters of a fjord outside Tromso in northern Norway illuminated by the aurora borealis, which has been shortlisted for the Wildlife Photographer of the Year People’s Choice Award (Picture: Audun Rikardsen/Wildlife Photographer/PA)

An Ethiopian wolf in Ethiopia’s Bale Mountains National Park, which has been shortlisted for the Wildlife Photographer of the Year People’s Choice Award(Picture: Axel Gomille/Wildlife Photographer/PA)

A bull elephant kicking over garbage as it scavenges at a dump in Tissamaharama, Sri Lanka, shortlisted for the Wildlife Photographer of the Year People’s Choice Award (Picture: Brent Stirton/Wildlife Photograper /PA)

Dr Douglas Gurr, director of the Natural History Museum, said: ‘Wildlife Photographer of the Year’s people’s choice award always offers an astounding selection of images, and this year is no different.

‘We invite the public to join the jury and vote for their favourite; whether breath-taking beauty or a powerful story, it’s sure to be a difficult decision.’

If you think there’s a standout photo, you can vote for it online or at the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition at the Natural History Museum – until the competition closes on January 31, 2024.

Feast on more of the moving snaps below…

Lions in Maasai Mara, Kenya, which has been shortlisted for the Wildlife Photographer of the Year People’s Choice Award(Picture: Mark Boyd/Wildlife Photographer/PA)

A Celebes crested macaque investigates the contents of a plastic bottle from a pile ready for recycling on a beach at the edge of Tangkoko Batuangus Nature Reserve, Indonesia,shortlisted for the Wildlife Photographer of the Year People’s Choice Award (Picture: Claire Waring/Wildlife Photographer /PA)

An Adelie penguin approaches an emperor penguin and its chick during feeding time in Antarctica’s Atka Bay, shortlisted for the Wildlife Photographer of the Year People’s Choice Award (Picture: Stefan Christmann/Wildlife Photographer/PA)

A rescued chimpanzee looks on from its enclosure at the Chimpanzee Conservation Center in the Republic of Guinea, shortlisted for the Wildlife Photographer of the Year People’s Choice Award (Picture: Roberto Garcia-Roa/Wildlife Photographer/PA)

Gelada monkeys in the Simien Mountains of Ethiopia, shortlisted for the Wildlife Photographer of the Year People’s Choice Award (Picture: Marco Gaiotti/Wildlife Photograper/PA)

Wood ducks in a late spring snowstorm in Smiggin Holes, New South Wales, Australia, shortlisted for the Wildlife Photographer of the Year People’s Choice Award (Picture: Charles Davis/Wildlife Photograper/PA)

A humpback whale calf misses some of its mother’s milk off the coast of Rurutu, French Polynesia, which has been shortlisted for the Wildlife Photographer of the Year People’s Choice Award(Picture: Karim Iliya/Wildlife Photographer/PA)

A young red fox in London, which has been shortlisted for the Wildlife Photographer of the Year People’s Choice Award (Picture: Matt Maran/Wildlife Photographer /PA)

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Vote for your favourite image that you think should take the crown.