Running on Water. RSPB Young British Wildlife Photographer of the Year and 15–17 Years Winner. “I woke up at 4:45 a.m. with the hope of capturing backlit waterfowl images at Frensham Pond in Surrey. I lay down at the edge of the pond and waited for the birds to become active. As the morning progressed, rays of sunlight began to shine through trees along the edge of the pond, creating spotlights in the morning mist. This created a beautiful atmosphere, which I aimed to capture in my images. This coot was fleeing a fight, running across the water to take flight through the mist and rays of light.” #

Squirrel Silhouette. Black & White, Runner-up. “Red squirrels are native and cherished in Cumbria, although they face competition and disease from grey squirrels. These charming creatures visit our garden daily for hazelnuts, and I can capture their antics without causing disturbance. During winter, when food is scarce, providing for them feels like helping our native population. This spring, young kits joined the adults for breakfast, and capturing their dynamic movements against the sky was a fascinating challenge.” #

What’s All the Fuss About? Urban Wildlife, Runner-up. “In this photograph, the Arctic walrus who had come ashore to rest on the harbor slipway in Scarborough has lifted its head as a car passed on Foreshore Road. The image is lit by the streetlights to the left and features the town’s fishing boats in the background.” #

Into the Mist. Wild Woods, Runner-up. “On the remains of an Iron Age hill fort on Badbury Hill in Oxfordshire, Badbury Clump is an area of wonderful beech woodland, carpeted in bluebells each spring … Luckily, the woodland was shrouded in dense fog on this particular morning, and the vibrant new beech leaves and subtle hues of the bluebells added a contrasting splash of color to the otherwise monochromatic scene.” #

Ocean Drifter. British Wildlife Photographer of the Year and Winner of Coast & Marine. “Ocean Drifter is a photo of a football that is covered in goose barnacles below the waterline. Above the water is just a football. But below the waterline is a colony of creatures. The football was washed up in Dorset after making a huge ocean journey across the Atlantic and then returned to the sea for the photo to be taken.” #

Three’s a Crowd. Hidden Britain, Winner. “I think I have a slight addiction to photographing blue butterflies—I just love them! They are such beautiful little insects, and they enhance any wildflower meadow or garden they inhabit. Blues are quite social insects, and they can often be found roosting quite close together—or even on the same grass or flower. I found a dozen or so blues all resting close together one evening last summer.” #

Day Walker. Urban Wildlife, Winner. “This vixen had taken up residence in an electricity substation after being pushed out of her parental territory. The fenced-off area provided her with a quiet place to rest away from the busy city. She would often walk along this wall, and I was able to capture this photo through the gaps in the metal fencing, while making the most of some striking lens flare.” #

Dancing in the Dark. Animal Behavior, Runner-up. “A pair of great crested grebes engage in their courtship ritual at sunrise. This carefully choreographed dance serves to strengthen their bonds during the mating season. The photo was captured in the early hours on an urban lake in North Tyneside—once a former mining site, now thriving with wildlife, it hosts up to four separate pairs of grebes, competing for territory and displaying their flamboyant courtship style.” #

Daisy Danger. Hidden Britain, Runner-up. “This photo was taken in a patch of land along the A30 in Devon that has been left untouched for a long time, making it a haven for wildflowers and the wildlife that inhabits it. Using the Laowa wide-angle macro lens, I aimed to capture this scene. While walking, I came across a flower crab spider wrestling with a bee on an ox-eye daisy.” #

Starling at Night. Animal Portraits, Winner. “I had been observing the birds in my garden as they fed on sunflower seeds and peanuts from the feeder for some time. I aimed to capture the sense of movement and flight patterns in my images while still preserving the fine details of the birds.” #

Beech for the Sky. Wild Woods, Winner. “Beech-tree grove near Dunbar in East Lothian. When the leaves are almost gone, the branches show their ‘canopy shyness’—a phenomenon observed in many species of trees in which the crowns of mature trees do not touch each other. In doing so, the trees form a canopy that has channel-like gaps which, when photographed from below, appear to create an intricate network of channels between the respective canopies.” #

Sunrise Hare. Animal Portraits, Runner-up. “I’m fortunate enough to have access to a private farm and have spent a lot of time with brown hares over the past couple of years. During this time, I’ve invested many hours into developing fieldcraft and gaining a good understanding of their behavior, allowing me to get close without disturbing the animal—hares are often skittish. For this image, I lay low and silent in a spot of the field they tend to follow from the hedgerow.” #