Celebrating the best of British wildlife photography (Dec 2015)

With 16 categories, including a special film category (Wildlife in HD), the Awards showcase the very best of nature photography and raise awareness about biodiversity, British species and their habitats.

Filmed in Dorset, the video, ‘The Last Seahorse in Studland?’ carried off top prize in the special Wildlife in HD category. Shot by Andy Jackson and written and narrated by Jackie Daly, their idea to film the life cycle of seahorses off the Dorset coast turned into a plea to help the species after only one seahorse was sighted despite expert assistance.

The Dorset coast also features in the competition’s Habitat category with Richard Bromley Gardner’s stunning image of a Large White butterfly in flight over cliffs looking out to St Oswalds Bay near Lulworth.

Established in 2009, the highly-acclaimed BWPA exhibition attracts thousands of entries celebrating the beauty and diversity of British wildlife. This year’s overall winner offers a unique insight into the habitat and behaviour of gannets. Taken by Barrie Williams, his image, ‘On the Edge’ features gannets on a cliff in the Shetland Isles and won the Habitat category as well as taking the overall winner’s title.

Moors Valley is one of a handful of locations to host the BWPA national touring exhibition. Countryside Ranger, Katie Davies said, “The British Wildlife Photography Awards recognise the talents of photographers across the UK whilst also celebrating the immense beauty and vitality of our indigenous wildlife. These stunning images really are the best of the best and Moors Valley is privileged to be the only venue chosen to host this important national exhibition on the south coast”.

Poul Christensen, Chair of Natural England, said: “The amazing images that have been captured for the British Wildlife Photography Awards are a great showcase of the wildlife wonders that exist in this country. I’d like to congratulate all of the entrants for the exceptionally high quality of their images – extraordinary pictures of our rarest animals sit alongside uniquely beautiful shots of the wildlife on our doorstep”.

The British Wildlife Photography Awards exhibition opens daily in the Visitor Centre at Moors Valley Country Park. It is free to view. Parking charges apply. For more information go to www.moors-valley.co.uk or call the Rangers on 01425 470721.

The 2016 British Wildlife Photography Awards opens for entries on 1 February. Details can be found at www.bwpawards.org

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Editors’ notes:

Please contact Amanda Walker on 01725 512200 to obtain a high resolution images of your choice.
Please note these images are available for publicity about the British Wildlife Photography Awards only. Any further use will require permission and a fee.
All images used must be credited to the photographer(s) and BWPA. Any published information about the BWPA should always include the competition’s web address www.bwpawards.co.uk .

Overall Winner
Barrie Williams “On the Edge”, northern gannets, Shetland Isles, Scotland

Category Winners
Habitat – Barrie Williams “On the Edge”, northern gannets, Shetland Isles, Scotland.
Animal Behaviour – Kris Worsley, “Pheasant Display”, Nottinghamshire, England,
Animal Portraits – William Harvey, “Common Lizard”, Surrey, England.
Hidden Britain – Alex Hyde, “Dew-covered Crane Fly”, Peak District National Park, Derbyshire, England.
Coast and Marine – Paul Colley, “Beautiful Blues”, Blue Shark, Penzance, Cornwall, England
Wild Woods – Chaitanya Deshpande “A Flutter in the Woods”, London, England.
Botanical Britain – Tim Hunt  “Fairy Moss”, Penryn, Cornwall, England
Close to Nature –  Chris Speller “Mite Walking in Frog Valley”, Bristol, England.
Urban Wildlife – Tomos Brangwyn, “London Starling Gang”, England
British Nature in Black and White – Terry Whittaker, “Pink-footed Geese in Mist”, Black Isle, Highlands, Scotland .
Documentary Series – David Pressland, “Toads on Roads”, North York Moors National Park, North Yorkshire, England
British Seasons – Kevin Sawford, “Roe Deer in four Seasons”, Suffolk.
Wildlife in HD Video – Andy Jackson and Jackie Daly, “The last Seahorse in Studland ?” Dorset, England
Link to the BWPA video page: http://www.bwpawards.org/static/2015/hd-video-winner-2015.html
Young People’s Award Wildpix
Under 12 Years Category – Max Eve (age 10), Blue-tailed Damselfly, Caerlaverock Wetland Centre, Dumfries, Scotland.
12–18 Years Category – Kyle Moore (age16), Bokeh Frog, Lowestoft, Suffolk, England
School Award – Year 5 pupils at Meadowbrook Primary School, Bradley Stoke, Bristol
View all the winning Images, including the video winner and selection of highly commended entries here: http://www.bwpawards.co.uk

The Prizes
First prize: £5,000
Category winners receive a Canon PowerShot G7 X
Wildlife in HD Video category winner receives a Sky World HD package and a 3D TV.  Plus a Canon XA-20 Professional Camcorder.
The British Seasons Portfolio prize is a Páramo Voucher for £600.
The Young winner (under 12) receives:   £300
The Young winner  (12 -18) receives:      £500
The School award                   £300

The Book
The British Wildlife Photography Awards: Collection 6 showcases the very best entries from the British Wildlife Photography Awards in 2015. This stunning coffee table book is a celebration of British wildlife as captured on camera by today’s best amateur and professional photographers. The book is available here:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/British-Wildlife-Photography-Awards-Collection/dp/0749577258/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1441572217&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=british+wildlife+photography+awards+2015
The Sponsors
Canon, SKY, RSPB Wildlife Explorers, WWF, The Wildlife Trusts, City of London, Countryside Jobs Service, CVP.com, Buglife, Paramo, Wild Wonders, BBC Wildlife Magazine and Outdoor Photography Magazine.