Photo Competitions

The competition opened on 1 February 2011, with a prize fund of up to £20,000. The British Wildlife Photography Awards in 2011 are your chance to win a prestigious photography award and cash prize of £5,000.

The British Wildlife Photography Awards were established in 2009. The key aims of the Awards are to:

• Recognise the talents of photographers practicing in the UK, while at the same time highlight the great wealth and diversity of Britain’s natural history.
• Celebrate British wildlife, in all its beauty and diversity, through a collection of inspirational photographs.
• Showcase the very best of our nature photography to a wide audience and engage all ages with evocative and powerful imagery.
• Encourage discovery, exploration, conservation and enjoyment of our natural heritage.
• Raise awareness about British biodiversity, species and habitats.

Winners and commended entrants will have their work showcased in a national touring exhibition and in a stunning book published by AA Publishing. Now in its third year these awards celebrate and recognise the talents of photographers of all nationalities practicing in the UK, while at the same time, highlight the great wealth and diversity of British natural history.

Prizes

Adult Competition

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 categories

The prizes for each of the adult categories will have a total value around £1,000. Each category prize includes: (or equivalent)

• Canon PowerShot G12 Camera
• Canon Pixma Pro 9000 MK II Printer
• RSPB Binoculars

Video award

Canon LEGRIA HF S21 High Definition Digital Camcorder (value £969.00).

Young Awards

There are three special awards to encourage participation by young people, schools and youth community groups.

• Young British Wildlife Photographer (Up to 11 years old) £300
• Young British Wildlife Photographer (12 to 18 years old) £500
• The British Wildlife Photography Award – for Schools, Youth and Community Groups is given to the group submitting the portfolio judged to be the most memorable, striking and best set of themed images. The prize for the best school youth or community group is Serif Design Suite – value £3,000. A copy of the Serif Design Suite for each of the contributors (£149)* which contains five software titles covering; graphics, photo editing, digital video, DTP and web design. The school or organisation will receive a 50 user license on the Serif Design Suite (£2,199) and a Digital Video camera (£149)
  *Maximum of five individual copies of the software for the winning entrants.

Serif is the publisher of the award-winning software range that includes PagePlus ®, PhotoPlus™, DrawPlus ™, WebPlus™, AlbumPlus™, MoviePlus™, PanoramaPlus™ and Digital Scrapbook Artist ® and more. Founded in 1987 with the aim to develop low-cost alternatives to high-end publishing and graphics packages, Serif has been repeatedly praised for its powerful yet easy-to-use software which enables businesses, educational establishments, and ordinary PC users to achieve professional-quality results whatever their level of experience.

Categories

Animal Portraits

We are looking for an image that captures the character or spirit of the subject in an imaginative way. We want to be able to get a sense of the animal’s “personality” from the photograph. All species will be considered.

Animal Behaviour

Entries can show unusual, interesting, amusing or remarkable behaviour being exhibited, or depict something familiar in a new light. Show the judges something they don’t know or haven’t seen before, or invite them to look again at what they thought they already knew.

Urban Wildlife

Wherever we live, wildlife can be found alongside us in our towns and cities. We are looking for an original image that shows wild animals or plants within an urban or predominantly man-made environment.

Hidden Britain

Reveal to us the secret universe that is life on a small scale – a life that is all around us but rarely seen. This category is for invertebrate species only. Category sponsored by Buglife.

Coast and Marine

We are looking for an imaginative photograph that reveals the nature or behaviour of marine wildlife, or creates a sense of place or occasion. Marine and maritime species near the sea, underwater, at the sea shore and coastal zone only will be considered. Category sponsored by WWF.

Wildlife in my Backyard

Gardens represent a vital habitat for some of our most threatened species. Whether it is common or rare, we want to see stunning photos of wildlife in your garden, back yard, balcony, or any space where you, your friends or family do something to encourage nature. Category sponsored by the Countryside Council for Wales.

Habitat

We are looking for an imaginative and original image that powerfully portrays the importance of the environment and ecosystems that sustain the wildlife within them. This includes animals, plants and the relationships between them; for example a butterfly feeding on nectar or rooks roosting in a tree. Category sponsored by Countryside Jobs Service.

Living Landscape: Connectivity

Category sponsored by The Wildlife Trusts. Being connected to the natural world is great for our health, our happiness and for the future. All are inextricably linked. And so The Wildlife Trusts are working on a recovery plan for nature. It’s their vision to create a resilient environment; one rich in wildlife and great for people. What they call ‘A Living Landscape’.

This category is purposefully open to interpretation to encourage creativity and fresh and imaginative responses. Connectivity might be physical, sensory, seasonal or otherwise. We are keen to see how this category captures the imagination and how connectivity within the UK landscape is defined. Positive images illustrating how habitats, species, communities and individuals are all connected, and interconnect, within our natural environment, both in rural and urban settings, are encouraged. Whether images capture an imaginative or purely narrative approach; are simple or complex, the winning image will be breath-taking, mesmerising and powerful.

Some typical (and not exclusive) examples:

• Bee species pollinating crops directly links wildlife with the economy
• Salt marshes acting as a buffer between land and seas
• Hedgerows play a part in keeping the countryside ‘stitched’ together
• Estuaries are the connection for freshwater species with marine life
• Rivers connecting streams to the sea
• Sensory connections: the sights and sounds of everyday nature
• Children playing in a meadow, part of a bigger habitat restoration scheme
• Close up of a wall or pavement, showing the life these physical connections harbour eg lichens, invertebrates
• Practical conservation volunteers at work, the birth of a new habitat where people come to connect with nature
• Delight at witnessing a grandchild’s wonderment during their first wildlife encounter
• School parties connecting within their local community green spaces
• Symbolic images that epitomize our connection with nature and our landscape

British Seasons

For this category we are looking for a stunning portfolio of images. The portfolio needs to portray British wildlife at its very best in each of the four seasons; Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter, or a portfolio of up to four from just one season. Each image needs to capture the essence of each season together with the wildlife subject, from any British location. The portfolio must work together as a set, themes are also encouraged. Each portfolio can either be four seasons or a single season. Category sponsored by RSPB.

Documentary Series

The documentary award can be a sequence of images of any British wildlife, conservation or environmental issue. The judges will be looking for innovation in story telling, within a portfolio of up to six images.

Wildlife on Video

The judges will be looking for the most inspirational and dynamic sequence (up to a minute) which clearly illustrates the unique power of video as a medium for capturing British wildlife. Any aspect of British wildlife will be considered. Category sponsored by Canon.

Some typical (and not exclusive) examples of short films:

• Creating a memorable portrait of a British wildlife species
• Highlighting a specific conservation issue related to British wildlife
• Showing unusual or remarkable behaviour
• About an individual animal such as a local fox who visits your garden or a special rescue case
• On a specific area or reserve that is special to you

Competition Fees

Credits (£5 per credit)

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This entry was posted on Monday, February 7th, 2011 at 1:52 pm and is filed under $10,000+, Animals, Black & White, Cities, Deadline, Environment, Garden, Landscape, Life, Macro, Nature, Panoramic, Plants, Science, Travel, Underwater, Wildlife, Winter.