Pål Hermansen from Oslo, Norway, won first place (gold) in the Wildlife category of the 2026 reFocus Color Photography Contest with this photo of a grizzly bear in Alaska.
In high summer, millions of sockeye salmon return from the Pacific to Alaska’s rivers to mate, spawn, and ultimately die at their birthplace. For grizzly bears, the fish are a feast. Even so, despite their abundance, the returning salmon are not always easy to catch.
[Description and photo from Stern magazine online. Photograph by Pål Hermansen]