The British Wildlife Photography Awards 2016

By Philpickin @philpickin

Winning image 'Hitchhikers' of a Lion's mane jellyfish
by George Stoyle

The British Wildlife Photography Awards proudly announce the winners for 2016.  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 special film category for Wildlife in HD Video and two junior categories to encourage young people to connect with nature through photography.The Overall Winning Image, ‘Hitchhikers’ of a Lion’s mane jellyfish, is by George Stoyle.  “I was working on a project to assess the current biological status of major sea caves around some of the UK’s most remote islands. At the end of one of the dives I was swimming back to the boat when I came face to ‘face’ with the largest jellyfish I’ve ever encountered. As I approached cautiously I noticed that a number of juvenile fish had taken refuge inside the stinging tentacles”, George Stoyle.David Nussbaum, Chief Executive, WWF-UK comments; WWF-UK are delighted to sponsor the Coast and Marine category in the British Wildlife Photography Awards 2016, celebrating the diversity, splendour and drama of UK wildlife.  This year’s winning image [of a lion’s mane jellyfish] is a striking example of the natural beauty and variety of life we have within and around our shores, as well as the skill and artistry of our wildlife photographers. The photo exquisitely captures the voluptuous frills and folds, and kaleidoscope colours of this giant jellyfish. But it’s the jelly’s Piscean ‘stowaways’ that make this picture, a shoal of shimmering, glistening juvenile fish finding safe harbor amongst the tangle of tentacles.
The winners: George Stoyle is The Overall Winner with his image ‘Hitchhikers’ of a Lion’s mane jellyfish. COAST AND MARINE“Hitchhikers”, Lion’s mane jellyfish, St Kilda, off the Island of Hirta, Scotland, George StoyleAnimal PortraitS Winner“Contemplation”, Mountain hare, Tomatin, Inverness, Scotland, Jamie MinaAnimal Behaviour Winner“Back Garden Babies”, Garden spider, Nottinghamshire, England, Jacqueline SpindleyUrban Wildlife Winner“The Supermarket Starling”, Cornwall, England, Geoff TrevarthenHidden Britain Winner“Emergence”, Goring, Oxfordshire, England, Stephen Darlington ,EastWild Woods Winner“Twisted Green”, Derbyshire, England, Steve PalmerHabitat Winner“Living Space”, Bass Rock, East Lothian, Scotland, Charles EverittBOTANICAL WINNER“Bird Seed”, Silver birch and Garden spider web, Norfolk, England, David MaitlandClose to Nature Winner“Tadpoles”, Bristol, England, Jeanette SakelBRITISH NATURE IN BLACK AND WHITE WINNER “Free Bird”, London, England, Chaitanya Deshpande BRITISH SEASONS WINNER“Common weasel”, North Yorkshire, England, Robert E Fuller DOCUMENTARY SERIES WINNER“Monitoring and tracking Harvest Mice”, Nick UptonWILDLIFE IN HD VIDEO WINNER“Spring on the River” Liam Marsh
Young People’s Award WildPixWINNER OF THE 12-18 YEARS CATEGORY“Kung Fu Puffin”, Skomer Island, Pembrokeshire, Wales, Rebecca Bunce (age 18) 
WINNER OF THE UNDER-12 CATEGORY“Cygnet with Swan”, London, England, Seren Waite  (age 10)

View all the winning Images, including the video winner and selection of highly commended entries here: http://www.bwpawards.co.ukThe Prizes
First prize: £5,000Category winners will receive a Canon PowerShot G5 XWildlife in HD Video category winner will receive a Sky World HD package and a HD TV.  Plus a Canon XA-30 Professional CamcorderThe British Seasons Portfolio prize is a Páramo Voucher for £600.The Young winner (under 12) will receive:  £300The Young winner  (12 -18) will receive:   £500

The ExhibitionOver 100images and videos, including winning and commended entries launches at the Mall Galleries, London, commencing Tuesday 6th September and is open until Saturday 10th September. For full details of opening hours visit: http://www.mallgalleries.org.uk.
Exhibition Tour http://www.bwpawards.org/c/galleries/exhibitionsCheck venues times for opening hours:  The Mall Galleries, London 6th to 10th September 2016Astley Hall, Lancashire 16th September to 5th November 2016 Nature in Art, Gloucestershire 13th September to 13th November 2016 Aberystwyth, Wales 12th November to 14th January Stockwood Discovery Centre, Luton  21st January to 26th March 2017Moors Valley Country Park, Dorset, 14th January to 26th February 2017Gracefield Arts Centre, Dumfries, Wild Film Festival, 08th March to 15thApril 2017Nunnington Hall, Yorkshire, 13th May to 09th July 2017 The BookThe British Wildlife Photography Awards: Collection 7 showcases the very best entries from the British Wildlife Photography Awards in 2016. This stunning coffee table book is a celebration of British wildlife as captured on camera by today’s best amateur and professional photographers. The SponsorsCanon, SKY, RSPB Wildlife Explorers, WWF, The Wildlife Trusts, Shetland Nature, Countryside Jobs Service, CVP.com, Buglife, Paramo, BBC Wildlife Magazine and Outdoor Photography Magazine.Supported byWild Arena, Kristal Digital Imaging Centre, WildFilm.com