
The British Wildlife Photography Awards 2019
A Celebration of British Wildlife
To mark its tenth anniversary and help raise awareness about our coast; its incredible biodiversity and the threats it is facing BWPA have expanded the Coast and Marine category to include British and Irish Coastlines within four separate categories; Wales, Scotland, England, and Northern Ireland & the Coast of Ireland.
The British Wildlife Photography Awards proudly announce the winners for 2019.
The awards celebrate both the work of amateur and professional photographers and the beauty and diversity of British wildlife. Winning images are chosen from thousands of entries in fifteen separate categories including a category for film and two junior categories to encourage young people to connect with nature through photography.
The Overall Winning Image: DANIEL TRIMM – Behind Bars (Grey heron), London

Behind Bars (Grey heron) by Daniel Trim ©
Grey herons thrive around London’s wilder waterways, but they also do well in more urban settings such as the smaller parks and canals, despite the litter and large numbers of people walking by. This individual was hunting in the cover of a bridge – presumably the fish were taking shelter among the fallen leaves and plastic bottles. The morning light shining through a grill gives the impression that the bird is trapped as it gazes out through the mesh.
Mark Carwardine comments “Who needs penguins or polar bears when we have puffins and badgers?
"With so many photographers scouring the globe for exotic megafauna, it’s easy to forget how much wildlife we have in our own small and densely populated backyard. Just look up – from behind your desk, the kitchen sink or inside your car – and the chances are you will see a wild creature of one kind or another. A red fox running across a field, a blue tit on the bird table, or a red kite over the motorway. We are very fortunate in having an outstanding biodiversity in this country – so it’s not surprising that British Wildlife Photography Awards has become one of the most eagerly anticipated events in the wildlife photography calendar.
"This year, BWPA celebrates its tenth anniversary and I am delighted that it is marking the occasion by focusing on British coasts. The Coast and Marine category has now been expanded to include four separate categories.
"Our island nation has an impressive 31,368 kilometres of coastline. We are surrounded by some of the richest seas in the world, teeming with an astonishing abundance and diversity of marine wildlife. We provide a home for about eight million breeding seabirds, a wide variety of cetaceans and everything from otters and grey seals to basking sharks and white-tailed eagles. Indeed, there are estimated to be 15,000 marine species living in UK seas altogether.
"But we do a shockingly bad job of looking after them. We take out far too many fish and shellfish, often catching them in destructive ways that have devastating impacts on other wildlife, and we use the seas as a dumping ground for an insidious tide of plastic waste and all sorts of other pollution. Add to that threats from rising sea temperatures, oil and gas exploration and extraction, and coastal development, and it’s not really surprising that we are losing our marine wildlife like never before.
The Category Winners:
For 2019 the Coast and Marine category includes British and Irish Coastlines within four separate categories; Wales, Scotland, England, and Northern Ireland & the Coast of Ireland.
COAST & MARINE Overall Winner: ALEX MUSTARD –
“Seal in Seaweed Garden” (Grey seal)
Isle of Coll, Inner Hebrides Argyll and Bute

“Seal in Seaweed Garden” (Grey seal) by Alex Mustard ©
ANIMAL BEHAVIOUR: ROBIN CHITTENDEN – Common Swift Skimming the Water
Norwich, Norfolk

Common Swift Skimming the Water by Robin Chittenden ©
ANIMAL PORTRAITS: MARK KIRKLAND – Peering Through the Darkness (Small-spotted catshark)
Loch Fyne, Argyll and Bute

Peering Through the Darkness (Small-spotted catshark) by Mark Kirkland ©
URBAN WILDLIFE: DANIEL TRIM – Behind Bars (Grey heron)
London

Behind Bars (Grey heron) by Daniel Trim ©
WILD WOODS: DAVE FIELDHOUSE – Welcome to Narnia (European larch,)
The Roaches, Upper Hulme, Staffordshire

Welcome to Narnia (European larch,) by Dave Fieldhouse ©
HABITAT: RICH BUNCE – Brighter Skies on the Horizon (Rock dove or feral pigeon)
Burley in Wharfedale, West Yorkshire

Brighter Skies on the Horizon (Rock dove or feral pigeon) by Rich Bunce ©
BLACK AND WHITE: NICHOLAS COURT – Marbled White in Grass (Marbled white)
Darley Bridge, Derbyshire

Marbled White in Grass (Marbled white) by Nicholas Court ©
HIDDEN BRITAIN: ALAN SMITH – Garden Spider, Back garden
Reading, Berkshire

Garden Spider, Back garden by Alan Smith ©
COAST AND MARINE:
ENGLAND: PAUL PETTITT – Stalked Jellyfish and Rissoa Snail
Kimmeridge Bay, Dorset

Stalked Jellyfish and Rissoa Snailby Paul Pettitt ©
WALES: MARK THOMAS – Plaice Face (Plaice) Criccieth Beach, Gwynedd

Plaice Face (Plaice) by Mark Thomas ©
NORTHERN IRELAND AND COAST OF IRELAND: TREVOR REES – Mauve stinger jellyfish (Pelagia noctiluca)
Malin Beg, Donegal, County Donegal, Ireland

Mauve stinger jellyfish (Pelagia noctiluca) by Trevor Rees ©
SCOTLAND: ALEX MUSTARD – Seal in Seaweed Garden (Grey seal)
Isle of Coll, Inner Hebrides, Argyll and Bute

“Seal in Seaweed Garden” (Grey seal) by Alex Mustard ©
BOTANICAL BRITAIN: JACK MORTIMER – Amongst Emerald Depths (Bluebell, Mare’s tail)
Worton Woods, Oxfordshire

Amongst Emerald Depths (Bluebell, Mare’s tail) by Jack Mortimer ©
DOCUMENTARY SERIES WINNER: LAWRIE BRAILEY – Britain’s Most Loved Mammal (European hedgehog) Cornwall

1 Britain’s Most Loved Mammal (European hedgehog) Cornwall by Lawrie Brailry ©

2 Britain’s Most Loved Mammal (European hedgehog) Cornwall by Lawrie Brailry ©

3 Britain’s Most Loved Mammal (European hedgehog) Cornwall by Lawrie Brailry ©

4 Britain’s Most Loved Mammal (European hedgehog) Cornwall by Lawrie Brailry ©

5 Britain’s Most Loved Mammal (European hedgehog) Cornwall by Lawrie Brailry ©

6 Britain’s Most Loved Mammal (European hedgehog) Cornwall by Lawrie Brailry ©
BRITISH SEASONS: PAUL SAWER – Seasonal Blue Tit, Rendham, Suffolk

1 Seasonal Blue Tit by Paul Sawer ©

2 Seasonal Blue Tit by Paul Sawer ©

3 Seasonal Blue Tit by Paul Sawer ©

4 Seasonal Blue Tit by Paul Sawer ©
WINNER 12-18 YEARS: JACOB GUY (age 18) – Spiny Starfish
Cornwall

Spiny Starfish, Cornwall by Jacob Guy (age 18) ©
WINNER UNDER 12 YEARS: OLLIE TEASDALE (age 10) – In the Spotlight (Razorbill)
Skokholm, Island Pembrokeshire

In the Spotlight (Razorbill) by Ollie Teasdale (age 10) ©
WILDLIFE IN HD VIDEO WINNER: TOM HARTWELL – Dancing Spiders
Marlow, Buckinghamshire
BWPA 2019 Winner of the Wildlife in HD: Dancing Spiders
Visit the bottom of a garden and watch a tiny little spider on a date!
Highlights of all the Winning and Commended films of 2019:
TOM HARTWELL: Bluebells
Buckinghamshire
BWPA 2019 Highly Commended: Bluebells
STEVEN FAIRBROTHER: A Wildlife Wonder, Northern Gannets.
Bass Rock, North Berwick
BWPA 2019 Highly Commended: A Wildlife Wonder
BEN HARRIS: Murmurate, starlings
Ham Wall, Somerset.
BWPA 2019 Highly Commended: Murmurate
Visit: bwpawards.org/videowinners2019
View all the winning Images, including the video winner and a selection of highly commended entries here: www.bwpawards.org
The Prizes
First prize: £5,000
The winning pictures and best entries will be included in a touring exhibition across the UK and a stunning coffee table book.
The title of British Wildlife Photographer is given to the photographer whose single image is judged to be the most striking and memorable of all the entries. The photographer of the overall winning image is awarded a first prize of £5,000.
Adult Category winners
The four Coast and Marine Category Winners will receive a cash prize of £500.
The overall Coast and Marine Category winner will also receive a Canon EOS M50 with the EF-M 55 - 200 mm lens.
Other category winners (except British Seasons, Habitat and Behaviour) will receive a Canon EOS M50 with the EF-M 15-45mm and EF-M 55-200mm lens. Tell unforgettable stories in rich colour and detail with the compact and connected 4K EOS M50. Its sleek design is packed with innovative technologies including cinematic 4K and 5-axis image stabilisation, with DSLR image quality in a lightweight mirrorless body. This modern camera combines a 24.1 Megapixel DSLR sized CMOS sensor with powerful DIGIC 8 processing for outstanding low light performance and depth of field control. A large central electronic viewfinder provides an intuitive shooting experience, with a 7.5cm vari- angle touchscreen to shoot from every perspective.
The Behaviour category winner will receive a £1,000 voucher from category sponsor Shetland Nature - to be used against any Shetland Nature tour, subject to availability.
The winner of the Habitat category will win a single place on Wildlife Worldwide’s Skomer’s Perfect Puffin photography tour. Staying on the island for two nights, you can enjoy the wildlife without the crowds and build up an impressive portfolio of puffin images. Other species include short-eared owls, razorbills, guillemots and even grey seals. Accompanied throughout by award-winning photographers, this 3-day trip is the perfect way to get up close and photograph Skomer Island’s puffins.
Wildlife in HD Video category winner
The prize in the Wildlife in HD Video category is a Canon XA11 Full HD Camcorder. The XA11 is a Full HD camcorder which feature stunning 20x 26.8mm-576mm optical zoom lenses to flexibly capture a variety of scenes with superb image quality. A Hi-UD lens supports the reduction of chromatic aberration and drives vivid imaging. Canon’s HD CMOS Sensor and the powerful DIGIC DV4 image processing platform deliver great performance in low light and the ability to capture superb Full HD images in 50P at 35Mbps. The XA11 offers a range of various interfaces including HDMI, XLR professional audio terminals, headphone jack and optional GPS support.. Comprising compact and lightweight bodies, the XA11 is ideal for high-action shoots when both speed and mobility are essential. Dynamic Mode provides 5-Axis image stabilization - roll axis, horizontal roll, vertical roll, up-down and left-right - to ensure smooth image capture in various styles of fast-paced shoots.
Wildpix Categories
There are two special awards to encourage participation by young people. These are free to enter.
See: bwpawards.org/competition/prizes-and-awards
The Exhibition Tour
Over 100 images including the winning and commended entries launches at the Mall Galleries, London, commencing Tuesday 6th November and is open until 1pm Sunday 11th November. A full list of exhibiting galleries is at the end of this press release or alternatively please visit the website for more information about the venues: www.bwpawards.org/c/galleries/exhibitions
The Book
The British Wildlife Photography Awards: Collection 10 showcases the very best entries from the British Wildlife Photography Awards in 2019.
Celebrating the 10th anniversary of the British Wildlife Photography Awards, this stunning collection showcases 150 of the winning and shortlisted images from the 2019 competition. Curating the year's finest work from world-leading professionals and inspired amateurs, it celebrates the extraordinary diversity of British wildlife while inspiring readers of all ages to engage with nature and conservation. Every photograph is beautifully reproduced in a large format, with detailed technical information alongside the photographer s personal account. Featuring a fresh new design, and supported by a touring exhibition and major media campaign, this is both an essential reference and an irresistible gift. It will bring every reader closer to the often unseen and always surprising world of British nature.

Mark Carwardine, zoologist, conservationist, wildlife photographer, TV/radio presenter and bestselling author comments;
"I hope you enjoy this remarkable book (how can you not?). Maybe you’ll be encouraged to enter the competition yourself next year? But, most of all, I hope it will inspire you to get involved, to take an active part in protecting our precious wildlife. It really does need all the help it can get.".
Published by Ammonite Press • 16th September 2019 • RRP £25.00 - Free P&P
The book is available here: www.bwpawards.org/competition/book
Exhibition Tour. (Check with the venues for their opening times)
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Mall Galleries – (open from 17th September (Tuesday 10am) until 22nd September (Sunday 1pm)
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Astley Hall – 28th September to 3rd November 2019
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Nature in Art – 22nd October to 22nd December 2019
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Bodiam Castle – 5th October 2019 to 5th January 2020
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Stockwood Discovery Centre – 20th January to 22nd March 2020
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Nunnington Hall – 16th May to 5th July 2020
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Further tour dates to be added
The Sponsors
Canon, Manfrotto, WWF, RSPB, Wildlife Explorers, The Wildlife Trusts, Shetland Nature, Countryside Jobs Service, Buglife, The British Deer Society, BBC Wildlife Magazine and Outdoor Photography Magazine.
Supported by
Ammonite Press, Kristal Digital Imaging Centre and Wildlife-film.com
Judges
Paul Colley
– Wildlife Photographer and Conservationist
Rob Cook
– Segment Manager, Canon
Richard Edwards
– Head of Content WWF-UK
Sheena Harvey
– Editor, BBC Wildlife magazine
Victoria Hillman
– Wildlife Researcher and Photographer
Ross Hoddinott
– Nature Photographer and Author
Lucy McRobert
– Campaigns Manager, The Wildlife Trusts
Brydon Thomason
– Naturalist and Wildlife Photographer
Jason Peters
– Naturalist, Editor and Producer of Wildlife-film.com
Mark Ward
– RSPB Nature's Home magazine
Steve Watkins
– Editor, Outdoor Photography Magazine
See: bwpawards.org/competition/judges
Contact:
Maggie Gowan
British Wildlife Photography Awards
Email: mail@maggiegowan.co.uk
Website: www.bwpawards.co.uk |