BWPA 2025 Winners

Overall Winner

“Urban Explorer” by Simon Withyman

Red fox. Bristol, England.

For approximately three years, I had been photographing this vixen and was able to track her movements across the city. Surprisingly, she covered large distances, eventually moving over a mile away from her original parental territory. In the city, that means a lot of roads, hazards, and other fox territories to contend with.

This streetwise fox was a successful mother and had a family of young mouths to feed. She would patrol the streets and the area near her den searching for food for herself and her young family. She would opportunistically hunt rodents and birds, as well as scavenge takeaway leftovers dropped on the floor.

I wanted to capture a creative environment portrait as she went about her daily routine. I was instantly drawn to the interesting perspective effect of these railings and wanted to showcase some beauty in this everyday urban scene.

Collection 13

See the best images from the 2025 competition in this beautiful coffee-table book.

Foreword by Evanna Lynch


Animal Behaviour

Category Winner

“Butterfly Face-off” by John Waters

Speckled wood. Bristol, England.

Runner-up

“The Rain-Deer” by Paul Browning

Red deer. Surrey, England

 Highly Commended


Animal Portraits

Sponsored by Wildlife Worldwide

Category Winner

“Hare in Motion” by David Tipling

Brown hare. Norfolk, England.

Runner-up

“Red Grouse Coming in to Land” by Ben Hall

Red grouse. Yorkshire Dales National Park, England

 Highly Commended


Botanical Britain

Category Winner

“Streetlit Snowdrop” by Jacob J. Watson-Howland

Snowdrop. Canterbury, England.

Runner-up

“Delta” by David Maitland

Hypoglossum sp. St Andrews Bay, Scotland.

 Highly Commended


Black & White

Category Winner

“Guillemot Kingdom” by Mark Kirkland

Guillemot. St Abbs, Scotland.

Runner-up

“Primitive Winter” by Mario Suarez Porras

Red deer. Cairngorms, Scotland.

 Highly Commended


Coast & Marine

Category Winner

“Blue Shark” by Nicholas More

Blue shark. Penzance, Cornwall, England.

Runner-up

“The Seal Cave” by Ben Porter

Grey seal. Bardsey Island, Wales.

 Highly Commended

Collection 13

See the best images from the 2025 competition in this beautiful coffee-table book.

Foreword by Evanna Lynch


Habitat

Category Winner

“Kingdom of the Hare” by Drew Buckley

Mountain hare. Highlands, Scotland.

Runner-up

“Hunter, Hunted” by Sandra Stalker

Sea bass. Balaclava Bay, Portland, England.

 Highly Commended


Hidden Britain

Category Winner

“Roosting Dragons” by Daniel Trim.

Broad-bodied chaser. Ham Wall, England.

Runner-up

“Koi” by David Maitland

Cinnabar moth. Thetford Forest, Norfolk, England.

 Highly Commended


Urban Wildlife

Category Winner

“Urban Explorer” by Simon Withyman

Red fox. Bristol, England.

Runner-up

“Bus Pass” by Paul Goldstein

Swan. Mitcham, England.

 Highly Commended


Wild Woods

Category Winner

“Storm Light Over the Caledonian Forest” by James Roddie

Scots pine. Glen Strathfarrar, Scotland.

Runner-up

“Forked Birch” by Tim George

Woodland. Cambridgeshire, England.

 Highly Commended


British Seasons

Category Winner

“Deer Throughout the Year” by Lauren McIntyre

I always get excited when I see a deer in the wild; it doesn’t matter how common they may be or how often I see them – every time is like the first time. They’re magnificent, but also clever and quick.

As they often spook easily and can hear or smell you from afar, I often find myself playing statues with them: when they’re not looking, I move; when they are, I freeze. They make me work for my photos, but it makes it that much more rewarding when I get the shot.

Capturing the deer throughout the year was a challenge; planning to showcase the deer in iconic seasonal scenes is easy, but finding deer in those scenes was the tricky part. This is a collection that spans over four years and has taken a lot of patience, many near misses and a little helping of luck to achieve.


Documentary Series

Category Winner

“Land Use” by Chris O'Reilly

In 2023, the UK was declared one of the most nature-depleted countries on Earth. Viewing my Land Use portfolio begins to provide insight into why this is the state of nature in our country.

Around 2019, I started to experiment with camera-drone nature photography and its storytelling potential quickly became apparent. While the bird’s-eye view of the natural world was difficult to interpret initially, I quickly understood the aesthetic and realised its documentary potential in recording how human activities impact natural environments.

My Land Use project portfolios often draw criticism for not including ‘nature’, but that’s sort of the point, isn’t it?


Video Award

Skomer Island - Lewis Jefferies

Category Winner

Dance of the Adder - Josh Phangurha

Highly Commended

Thinking Red - Peter Howarth

Highly Commended


Young British Wildlife Photographer of the Year

“Curlew O’Clock!” by Jamie Smart

Curlew. Wiltshire, England.

It was a very early morning start and a four-hour drive to try to get the early morning light on the plains. As the sun was just coming up over the hill, I noticed how it caught the dandelion clocks and lit them up like little fuzzy lamps everywhere. I was lining up my camera out of the car window, ready to capture a photo, when I heard a curlew nearby. I scanned the area to try to find where they were and found this one wading through the dandelions just in front of me.


15-17 Years

Category Winner

“Street Cleaners” by Ben Lucas

Feral pigeon. Essex, England.

Runner-up

“Kissing Hares” by Joe Dagger

Brown hare. Warminster, England.

 Highly Commended


12-14 Years

Category Winner

“And Take-off – Gannets at Bass Rock” by Kiran Simpson

Northern gannet. Bass Rock, Scotland.

Runner-up

“Red Kite Fishing” by Jack Brackley

Red kite. Oakham, Rutland, England.

 Highly Commended


11 and Under

Category Winner

“Curlew O’Clock!” by Jamie Smart

Curlew. Wiltshire, England.

Runner-up

“I See Trees of Green” by Tyler Hood

Sparrowhawk. Norwich, England.

 Highly Commended

Collection 13

See the best images from the 2025 competition in this beautiful coffee-table book.

Foreword by Evanna Lynch