In this year’s British Wildlife Photography Awards (BWPA), more than 14,000 incredible wildlife images were whittled down to a single grand prize winner, photographer Ryan Stalker.
Stalker’s powerful image was captured off the coast of England and shows a colony of creatures that traveled thousands of miles attached to a floating soccer ball.
Overall Winner, British Wildlife Photographer of the Year — ‘Ocean Drifter’ by Ryan Stalker / Goose barnacles (Thoracica) in Portland, Dorset, England | British Wildlife Photography Awards 2024
While the mollusks’ journey is remarkable and makes for an incredible image, it underlies how ocean pollution can cause problems. In this case, garbage floated to England, bringing an invasive species, goose barnacles, along with it.
“Above the water is just a football. But below the waterline is a colony of creatures,” says Stalker. “The football was washed up in Dorset after making a huge ocean journey across the Atlantic. More rubbish in the sea could increase the risk of more creatures making it to our shores and becoming invasive species.”
Alongside winning the overall prize for adult photographers, Stalker also took top honors in the “Coast and Marine” category.
“The British Wildlife Photography Awards brings to light the spectacular tapestry of Britain’s natural heritage,” explains Will Nicholls, Director of BWPA. “This collection is more than just a gallery of images; it is a celebration, a reminder of the enduring beauty of British wildlife and a call to preserve the natural spaces that we are so fortunate to have in Britain.”
Alongside Stalker’s overall title, winners were chosen across 10 categories for adults and three age groups of children.
Young Photographer Max Wood Named ‘Young British Wildlife Photographer of the Year’
For his fantastic silhouette image of a coot running across a misty lake at sunrise, Max Wood has been named the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) Young British Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2024. The RSPB supports this award to help encourage children to get involved with nature.
RSPB Young British Wildlife Photographer of the Year and 15-17 Years Old Winner — ‘Running on Water’ by Max Wood / Coot (Fulica atra) on Frensham Little Pond, Surrey, England | British Wildlife Photography Awards 2024
Youth Winners
RSPB 12-14 Years Winner — ‘Mothern and Fawn’ by Felix Walker-Nix / Roe deer (Capreolus caproelus) in Sherfield on Loddon, England | British Wildlife Photography Awards 2024RSPB 11 and Under Winner — ‘Spring’s Treasures’ by Jamie Smart / Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) in Wales | British Wildlife Photography Awards 2024
Category Winners
Animal Behavior
Winner — ‘Three Frogs in Amplexus’ by Ian Mason / Common frog (Rana temporaria) in Perthshire, Scotland | British Wildlife Photography Awards 2024Runner-up — ‘Dancing in the Dark’ by Matthew Glover / Great crested grebe (Podiceps cristatatus) in Killingworth, North Tyneside, England | British Wildlife Photography Awards 2024
Animal Portraits
Winner — ‘Starling at Night’ by Mark Williams / Common starling (Sturnus vulgaris) in Solihull, West Midlands, England | British Wildlife Photography Awards 2024Runner-up — ‘Sunrise Hare’ by Spencer Burrows / Brown hare (Lepus europaeus) in Nottinghamshire, England | British Wildlife Photography Awards 2024
Botanical Britain
Winner — ‘Tiny Forest Balloons’ by Jason McCombe / Slime mold (Comatricha nigra) in Essex, England | British Wildlife Photography Awards 2024Runner-up — ‘Rainbow at Dawn’ by Martin Stevens / Rainbow wrack (Cystoseira tamariscifolia) in Falmouth, Cornwall, England | British Wildlife Photography Awards 2024
Black and White
Winner — ‘Raven Above Arran’ by Robin Dodd / Raven (Corvus corax) on the Isle of Arran in Scotland | British Wildlife Photography Awards 2024Runner-up — ‘Squirrel Silhouette’ by Rosamund Macfarlance / Red squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris) in Cumbria, England | British Wildlife Photography Awards 2024
Coast and Marine
Runner-up — ‘Fire in the Night’ by Dan Bolt / Fireworks anemone (Pachycerianthus multiplicatus) in Loch Fyne, Scotland | British Wildlife Photography Awards 2024
Habitat
Winner — ‘The Tightrope Walker’ by Daniel Valverde Fernandez / Red fox (Vulpes vulpes) in Sherwood Pines Forest Park, Nottinghamshire, England | British Wildlife Photography Awards 2024Runner-up — ‘The Crop Thief’ by Steven Allcock / Brown hare (Lepus europaeus) in Nantwich Cheshire, England | British Wildlife Photography Awards 2024
Hidden Britain
Winner — ‘Three’s a Crowd’ by Ross Hoddinott / Common blue butterflies (Polyommatus icarus) at Vealand Farm in Devon, England | British Wildlife Photography Awards 2024Runner-up — ‘Daisy Danger’ by Lucien Harris / Flower crab spider (Misumena vatia) and honeybee (Apis mellifera) at Lee Mill in Devon, England | British Wildlife Photography Awards 2024
Urban Wildlife
Winner — ‘Day Walker’ by Simon Withyman / Red fox (Vulpes vulpes) in Bristol, England | British Wildlife Photography Awards 2024Runner-up — ‘What’s All the Fuss About?’ by Will Palmer / Walrus (Odobenus rosmarus) in North Yorkshire, England | British Wildlife Photography Awards 2024
Wild Woods
Winner — ‘Beech for the Sky’ by Graham Niven / Beech (Fagus sylvatica) in East Lothian, Scotland | British Wildlife Photography Awards 2024Runner-up — ‘Into the Mist’ by Philip Selby / Beech (Fagus sylvatica) in Badbury Hill, Oxfordshire, England | British Wildlife Photography Awards 2024
The winners and other awarded photos from this year’s British Wildlife Photography Awards are featured in a hardcover coffee table book, which is available for purchase now. The book includes a foreword by British naturalist and explorer Steve Backshall.
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