Michelle Lawford, The Little Eagle Hunter (PEOPLE 2026)

Web:

www.wild-photography.com.au

This child looked poised to become part of the next generation of eagle hunters in the Altai Mountains of West Mongolia. However, it is now compulsory for nomadic Kazakh children to leave their traditional way of life and attend a state boarding school. I couldn’t help wondering; will he still want to return to the ancient art of falconry after he gets an education?

Images have been resized for web display, which may cause some loss of image quality. Note: Original high-resolution images are used for judging.