British Wildlife Photographer of the Year Award has been won by a remarkable image of a football covered in invasive goose barnacles. Photographer Ryan Stoker’s images highlight the dangers of waste polluting our oceans and the impact on native wildlife.
“The soccer ball traveled across the Atlantic and ended up on the shores of Dorset,” Stoker explained. “Increased debris in the ocean could result in more organisms reaching our coasts, raising the risk of invasive species.”
The RSPB Young British Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2024 Award was given to Max Wood for his evocative image of a coot crossing a misty lake at sunrise. This award aims to inspire young individuals to engage in wildlife conservation.
The British Wildlife Photographer of the Year showcases the diverse and stunning wildlife of Britain. The 2025 competition is now open for entries, welcoming photographers of all levels to submit their images.
Animal Behavior Category Runner-Up – Dancing in the Dark
A pair of Crested Grebes (Podiceps cristatus) Touch the beak of Killingworth, North Tyneside, England, United Kingdom.Photo credit: Matthew Glover/British Wildlife Photography Award
Coastal/Ocean Division Runner-up – Fire in the night
Fireworks anemone (Pachycerianthus mulplicatus) shows fluorescence in Loch Fyne, Scotland, UK. These sea anemones live in very still water and are sensitive to the slightest movement. When disturbed, they quickly withdraw.Photo by Dan Bolt/British Wildlife Photography Award
Black and White Category Winner – Raven on Alan
A crow flies high over the top of Goatfell, the highest mountain on the Isle of Arran in Scotland, UK.Photo by Robin Dodd/British Wildlife Photography Award
Winner of Botanical Britain – Little Forest Balloons
A group of slime molds (comatrica nigra) Photographed in Essex, England, United Kingdom. The width of each head of these fruiting bodies is approximately 1 mm.Photo by Jason McCombe/British Wildlife Photography Award
Habitat Category Winner – Tightrope Walker
Red fox (Vulpes Vulpes Vulpes) walks across tree branches in Sherwood Pines Forest Park, Nottinghamshire, England, United Kingdom.Photo by Daniel Valverde Fernandes/British Wildlife Photography Award
Runner-up in the urban wildlife category – what’s all the fuss about?
In this photo, the Arctic walrus (Odobenus rosmarus) is resting on a dock in the port of Scarborough, England, after landing.Photo by Will Palmer/British Wildlife Photography Award
Hidden UK Winner – Three’s a crowd
Three common blue butterflies (Polyommatus icarus) Photographed at Beeland Farm, Devon, England, United Kingdom.Photo by: Ross Hoddinott/British Wildlife Photography Award
Winner of the 12-14 year old category – Mother and Fawn
Mother and young roe deer (capreolus capreolus) Forest, Sherfield-on-London, England, United Kingdom.Photo credit: Felix Walker-Nix/British Wildlife Photography Award
Wild Forest Category Winner – Empty Beech
Beech crown (Beech) in East Lothian, Scotland, UK.Photo credit: Graham Niven/British Wildlife Photography Awards
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Urban Wildlife Category Winner – Day Walker
This bitch (Vulpes Vulpes Vulpes) began living in an electrical substation after being evicted from their parent’s territory of Bristol, England.Photo by Simon Withyman/British Wildlife Photography Awards
11 years old and under division winner Spring Treasure
pheasant(Fasianus colchicus) I’m sitting on a fence on a cold, foggy morning in Mid Wales, England.Photo by Jamie Smart/British Wildlife Photography Award
Habitat Category Runner-up – Crop Thief
brown rabbit (lepus europe) munching on crops in the evening in Nantwich, Cheshire, UK.Photo by Steven Allcock/British Wildlife Photography Awards
Botanical Bulletin Category Runner-up – Rainbow at Dawn
A type of bushy seaweed known as rainbow rack (Cystoseira Tamarisfolia) is below the water’s surface and photographed as the sun rises. Photographed in Falmouth, Cornwall, England.Photo by Martin Stevens/British Wildlife Photography Award
Hidden Britain runner-up – Daisy Danger
Flower crab spider (Mismena Vatia) and bees (Western honey bee) are very close together and both live in oxeye daisy flowers. This photo was taken on his A30 property in Devon, England, which has remained untouched for many years. This makes it a paradise for wildflowers and the wildlife that lives there.Photo credit: Lucien Harris/British Wildlife Photography Award
Winner of Animal Behavior Category – Three Frogs in amplexus
A trio of ordinary frogs (Lana Temporaria) floats on the surface of the water with its abdomen open. In this mating position, the male frog uses his legs to grab the female from behind. Photographed in Perthshire, Scotland, England.Photo by Ian Mason/British Wildlife Photography Award
Youth Division Overall Winner – Water Running
coot(Furika Atlas)Skip-fly over Frensham Little Pond in Surrey, England, United Kingdom.Photo by Max Wood/British Wildlife Photography Award
brown rabbit (lepus europe) looking straight into the camera in Nottinghamshire, England, United Kingdom.Photo by Spencer Burrows/British Wildlife Photography Award
Black and white category runner-up – squirrel silhouette
red squirrel (vulgaris ciirus) Taken during a jump in Cumbria, England, United Kingdom.Photo by Rosamund MacFarlane/British Wildlife Photography Award
Animal Portrait Winner – Starling at Night
Starling (vulgaris vulgaris) Garden, Solihull, West Midlands, England, UK.Photo credit: Mark Williams/British Wildlife Photography Award
Overall Winner – Ocean Drifter
Soccer ball covered with goose barnacles (chest) below the waterline. A soccer ball washed up on the coast of Dorset, England, after a voyage across the Atlantic Ocean. Barnacles are not native to the UK, but can be washed up on beaches during strong Atlantic storms.Photo credit: Ryan Stalker/British Wildlife Photography Award
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