Photography competition galleries

Leafcutter Bee Cutting A Rose Leaf (c) Margaret Robson

Scroll down to take a look at the results of our previous photography competitions.

Photography is a great way to capture a moment and to get outside and connect with nature, and to celebrate this we host a photo competition each year.

When you enter, you have the chance to have your photo featured on our social media, calendar, and more! The GWT 2025 calendar featured some of your amazing finalist photos from the 2024 competition.

Thank you to everyone that has entered our previous years photo competitions - there have been some truly incredible submissions. Take a look at the galleries of entries below, they'll be sure to inspire you to grab your camera and head outside.

Click the (i) icons to find the image credit, or on the photos themselves to find comments from the judging panel and where the photo placed in the categories.

Wildlife photography best practices

Be careful with using flash

Lots of cameras and phones will automatically turn flash on when the light conditions decrease, so be mindful of this before taking photos. Wildlife can be very sensitive to light, and many can be scared or even temporarily blinded by the sudden flash of light. If the light conditions aren’t good, a night vision camera is your best bet.

Be mindful of where you are walking

It is best to stick to designated paths or tracks when out on our reserves to minimise any damage to habitats or disturbing wildlife that are used to no footfall in their patch.

Keep a low profile

Keep your distance and don't get too close - this is especially important when the wildlife you are photographing has any young with them.

Are you photographing a protected species?

If you are looking to photograph and specific species, look up its protected status before heading out. There are laws that protect certain species, disturbing them during breeding seasons can impact their success rate of raising young and can be seen as a criminal offence.

Don't use lures

Avoid use food to bait wildlife into coming closer, playing calls to birds, or similar behaviour. Just be patient and quiet and the wildlife will come to you!

Remember, the welfare of the wildlife should come first.

A misty landscape at sunrise, including a jumping deer and various trees.

Una Mattina by Giorgio Frattolillo

2026 galleries

As part of the camera or mobile entry, there were four categories; urban wildlife, wild places, species spotlight and wild youth for under 18s.

We recieved over 500 amazing entries this year, and during the exhibition, over 700 votes were cast for the People's Choice Award!

Overall and category winners

Congratulations to:

Overall camera winner and camera wild places category winner - Giorgio Frattolillo, Una Mattina

Overall mobile winner, People's Choice winner and mobile species spotlight category winner - Jenny Fletcher, Meeting spot

Camera wild youth category winner - Arthur, Poised acrobat

Camera species spotlight category winner - Rodney Lamb, Porcelain fungi

Camera urban wildlife category winner - Paul Griffiths, Gotherington gaze

Mobile wild youth category winner - Ophelia, Midsummer

Mobile urban wildlife category winner - Michelle Allen, Toad patrol

Mobile wild places category winner - Corina Gardiner, At peace

Click the images below to see them in full.

Three bumblebees on a purple flower, with a mixed landscape in the background.

Meeting spot by Jenny Fletcher

Una Mattina by Giorgio Frattolillo

A blue tit taking flight from a bare spiky branch.

Poised acrobat by Arthur

Two porcelain-coloured toadstools that are dripping, with moss in the background

Porcelain fungi by Rodney Lamb

A view of the back of a sparrowhawk on a fence, with its head turned so its eye and beak are visible, leaves in the background.

Gotherington gaze by Paul Griffiths

Midsummer by Ophelia

Two toads crossing a road, the female carrying the male

Toad patrol by Michelle Allen

A view of a grassland with scrub and trees, a valley in the background, and cloudy sunset.

At peace by Corina Gardiner

Runners up

Please click on each image to see the category and photographer.

A bumblebee hovering over a white flower, with its wings blurry but body in focus.

Bumblebee in flight by Laura Peyton

A damselfly with red eyes heading straight for the camera, with its four wings and body, above water

Red-eyed damselfly in flight by Mark James

Two jackdaws on an aerial, one just landing from flight

Incoming by Jen Sullivan

A kestrel taking off from an aerial, with tree tops in the background

Aerial advantage by James Headspeath

A view towawrds the river severn at sunset, with green fields and trees in the background, and a hill covered with bluebells in the foreground

Golden hour bluebells by Amy Gatley

A woodland with a carpet of bluebells and a path down the left hand side

Local bluebell walk by Caroline Byrne

A stonechat on a fence on the right of the picture, perched and looking towards the left

As I watch by Hope

A reed warbler pulling some vegetation from a reed, with reeds in the background

Reed warbler by Sammy

A pink flower, with a white crab spider crawling towards a black insect

Crab spider by Mike Blakemore

A yellow beetle with black stripes on an oxeye daisy, with other plants in the background

A bee beetle enjoying an oxeye daisy in the sun by Bri Apperley

A bumblebee on a purple flower, above concrete after it had been rescued

Rescue by Emma Stagg

A wood pigeon standing to the side on a fence in front of a blossoming tree

Love the unloved by Charlotte Hewitt

A view of a lake at sunset, surrounded by trees in the background and reeds in the foreground

Somewhere only we know by Winter Storm

A view of two trees that look like they're leaning on each other, with a bench next to them and a landscape view in the background

Cleeve Hill November silhouette by Andrew Arkle

A wild daffodil flower in the centre, with other daffodils in the background and below, and tree silhouettes behind

I wandered lonely as a cloud by Abigail

A close up of a snail on a wooden branch, with brown leaves in the background

Garden guest by Bernard

Self-belief...(c) Anthony Bradshaw

2025 galleries

The GWT photography competition this year was split into mobile entries and camera entries as last year. We know that not everybody owns a camera, but we want everyone to have the opportunity to enjoy nature as part of this competition.

As part of the camera or mobile entry, there were three categories; urban wildlife, wild places, and species spotlight.

Overall and category winners

Congratulations to:

Overall camera winner and camera species spotlight category winner - Rob Whybrow, Silhouette of a Spoonbill

Overall mobile winner and mobile wild places category winner - Briony Apperley, Sundown

People's Choice winner and camera wild places category runner-up - Emma Brookes, The stream

Camera wild places category winner - Nigel Madeley, Wild Garlic

Camera urban wildlife category winner - Marc Freebrey, Pipe dream

Mobile urban wildlife category winner - Elle, Scarce surprises

Mobile species spotlight winner - Jason Conway, Lady Bridge

C-1 C-S-1 Silhouette of a Spoonbill (c) Rob Whybrow

Pipe dream (c) Marc Freebrey

Wild Garlic (c ) Nigel Madeley

Sundown (c) Briony Apperley

Lady Bridge (c) Jason Conway

Scarce surprises (c) Elle

The stream (c) Emma Brookes

Runners up

Please click on each image to see the category and photographer.

Starling (c) Sammy Hughes

A place to hide (c) Rich Gibbs

Feeling sluggish (c) Sally Terrett

Pond life (c) Ted Foxall

Comma (c) John Andrews

Friendly helper (c) Laura Lyons

Nature's wonders (c) Kathryn Mckay

Severn view (c) Tiggy Jo Fellows

Brown hare (c) Rob Dewey

Leafcutter Bee Cutting A Rose Leaf (c) Margaret Robson

Self-belief...(c) Anthony Bradshaw

A person with long hair pointing a camera at the photo

2024 galleries

The GWT photography competition this year was split into mobile entries and camera entries for the first time. We know that not everybody owns a camera, but we want everyone to have the opportunity to enjoy nature as part of this competition.

As part of the camera or mobile entry, there were three categories; urban wildlife, wild places, and species spotlight.

Overall and category winners

Congratulations to:

Overall camera winner and camera species spotlight category winner - Rory Lewis, erythristic meadow grasshopper

Overall mobile winner and mobile species spotlight category winner - Rose Lennard, strange goings on at the allotment

People's Choice winner and camera urban wildlife category winner - Graham Hill, the stare

Camera wild places category winner - Natasha Scott, Stuart Fawkes nature reserve

Mobile urban wildlife category winner - Sally Terrett, new postie on the block

Mobile wild places category winner - Sarah Whittle, A winter sunrise on the River Severn