BWPA 2026 Winners
Overall Winner
“A Toad Swims Across Its Woodland Pond” by Paul Hobson
Toad. Sheffield, England.
I am lucky to have a pond close to my house that has relatively clear water, especially in late winter and early spring before the algae starts to grow.
Toads use this pond to breed in and I decided I wanted to try to capture an image looking up from the bottom of the pond. To try to do this I built a glass box to house the camera and keep it dry. I had to add ballast to make sure it would sink and used old tripod legs glued to its sides to keep the box level. I worked out the depth the box would be and set the focus so that it would capture a toad, if one swam across the surface. I triggered the camera using an adapted long cable release.
I had to wait quite a long time until a toad swam across the surface – most of them would usually swim below it and rest on the glass.
Collection 14
See the best images from the 2026 competition in this beautiful coffee-table book.
Foreword by Mackenzie Crook
Animal Behaviour
Category Winner
“Nemesis” by Mark Parker
Sparrowhawk and juvenile starling. Royston, Hertfordshire, England.
Runner-up
“The Fur Flew” by Sarah Darnell
Brown hare. Bintree, Norfolk, England.
Highly Commended
"Duelling Goats" by Andrew Lanxon
"Skydancers" by Drew Buckley
"Frosty Morning Show" by Alexander Hormann
"Midnight Amplexus" by Kjetil Kalla
Animal Portraits
Category Winner
“Standing Tall” by Alastair Marsh
Pine marten. Ardnamurchan, Scotland.
Runner-up
“Through the Lavender” by Felix Belloin
Red fox. Richmond, England.
Highly Commended
"Misty Majesty" by Alex Pansier
"Cub Sandwich" by Ben Nicholson
"The Shy Rabbit" by Gaston Galvan
"Yellowhammer in Gorse" by Jamie McDermaid
Botanical Britain
Category Winner
“Slime Moulds and a Water Droplet” by Barry Webb
Slime mould. South Buckinghamshire, England.
Runner-up
“The Algaeverse” by David Higgins
Algae. The Skerries, Anglesey, Wales.
Highly Commended
"Morning Gold" by Felix Belloin
"Smoking Cauldrons" by Emmy Young
"Slime Moulds on a Holly Leaf" by Barry Webb
"Ocean Lungs" by Ben Lindberg
Black & White
Category Winner
“A Toad Swims Across Its Woodland Pond” by Paul Hobson
Toad. Sheffield, England.
Runner-up
“Emerging in the Light” by Chris Wardell
Red fox. Bristol, England.
Highly Commended
"A Squirrel and a Tree in Silhouette" by Alex Pansier
"Bubble Bath" by William Gray
"Spiralling Textures" by Ben Dalgleish
"Winter Lines" by Mario Suarez
Coast & Marine
Category Winner
“Glowing Bright” by James Lynott
Spiny squat lobster. Inveraray, Loch Fyne, Scotland.
Runner-up
“Silhouetted Puffin” by Julian Terreros-Martin
Atlantic puffin. Skomer Island, Wales.
Highly Commended
"Colourful Sea Slug in a Cold Scottish Loch" by Robert Bailey
"Sunny Seaweed Surf" by Billy Arthur
"One Bass Many Bass" by Kirsty Andrews
"Mr and Mrs Yarrell" by Kirsty Andrews
Collection 14
See the best images from the 2026 competition in this beautiful coffee-table book.
Foreword by Mackenzie Crook
Habitat
Category Winner
“Dipper Dream” by Marc Humphrey
Dipper. Derbyshire Dales, England.
Runner-up
“Winter Touch” by Mario Suarez
Mountain hare. Cairngorms National Park, Scotland.
Highly Commended
"Boreray Might" by Graham Niven
"Into the Light" by Ben Pulletz
"Pontoon Life" by Sandra Stalker
"Red Roe" by Daniel Trim
Hidden Britain
Category Winner
“New Life” by Julian Terreros-Martin.
Common frog. Messingham, England.
Runner-up
“Surprising Meal” by Adam Ferry
Cellar spider. Worcester Park, Surrey, England.
Highly Commended
"A Kind of Magic" by Alison Bell
"Hidden Chaser" by Ross Hoddinott
"Doris at the Disco" by Sandra Stalker
"Bringing in the Leaves" by Chris Jackson
Urban Wildlife
Category Winner
“Asleep at the Wheel” by Simon Withyman
Red fox. Gloucestershire, England.
Runner-up
“Night Dweller” by Kyle Moore
Red fox. Lowestoft, England.
Highly Commended
"Starling Murmuration" by Wendy Ball
"New World" by Sennen Powell
"From Garden to Garden" by Paul Hobson
"The Storm Drain" by Sandra Stalker
Wild Woods
Category Winner
“Beams of Brightness” by Mark Richardson
Bushy Park, London, England.
Runner-up
“Autumn Dancer” by Duncan Wood
Birch tree. Glen Affric, Scotland.
Highly Commended
"Beaches and Bells" by Hang Ross
"Misty Pine Forest Sunrise" by Neil McIntyre
"Bluebells at Sunrise" by Christopher Harrison
"Painted Trees" by Neil McIntyre
British Seasons
Category Winner
“Woodlands Throughout the Year” by Christopher Harrison
Across four distinct moments captured in British woodlands, the seasons unfold in atmospheric beauty: gentle sunbeams illuminate bluebells in springtime fog, summer’s vivid greens shimmer beneath misty canopies, autumn paints beech leaves in gold, and winter transforms a riverside scene into a frosted tranquillity.
Together, these scenes reflect nature’s cycle in Britain, marking the progression of time in Britain’s ever-changing forests. I feel so lucky, as photography brings me into direct rhythm with the seasons – giving me a front-row view of the spectacular annual changes that happen around us.
Documentary Series
Category Winner
“The Badger Cull” by Ian Wood
Nearly a quarter of a million badgers have now been killed in the badger cull in England, despite studies showing that over 94% of bovine TB infections occur through cattle to cattle transmission. A review by the independent scientific group on cattle TB found that ‘badger culling can make no meaningful contribution to cattle TB control in Britain’.
Scotland doesn’t cull badgers and is bovine TB free. Wales have managed to reduce bovine TB without killing badgers. This has been achieved by more effective testing, vaccinations and improved farm hygiene, which have led to 94.7% of herds in Wales being TB free.
The current British government pledged to end the cull before being elected, but another 40,000 badgers are due to be shot in England before the end of this parliament. In some areas of England, the rates of slaughter have been so high that they are becoming locally extinct, and the British taxpayer has footed the bill for this wildlife crime to the tune of over £60 million.
Since submitting the images to the competition, the UK government agreed to end the cull in England by the end of January 2026, apart from one license in Cumbria that they claim is still needed to gather more data. Badger Trust are calling for this license to also end immediately, as the government has had over 15 years to gather data and hardly any badgers killed in the cull were even tested to find out if they had bovine TB.
Video Award
The Elegant in Water - Vai Meng Chan
Category Winner
The Sea Watcher - Dylan Coundley-Hughes
Highly Commended
Parakeets of London by Jacob Rheams
Highly Commended
Young British Wildlife Photographer of the Year
“Feathery Pillow” by Ben Lucas
Mute swan. Hornchurch, England.
This was such an adorable moment to witness. A whole family of mute swans swam up to me as I was quietly sitting on the bank of a beautiful lake. They all lay down for a rest right beside me. The five newly hatched cygnets curled up together in a fluffy grey bundle and I captured this photo as one lay its little head on the back of its sibling.
Nature can often be so cruel, but tender moments like this warm my heart!
15-17 Years
Category Winner
“Feathery Pillow” by Ben Lucas
Mute swan. Hornchurch, England.
Runner-up
“Sunset Silhouette” by Thomas Durrant
Atlantic puffin. Skomer Island, Wales.
Highly Commended
"Winter Robin" by Anton Poon
12-14 Years
Category Winner
“Acrobatic Hobby” by Jack Crockford
Eurasian hobby. Staines Moor, England.
Runner-up
“Gorsefest” by Theo Fairbrother
Dartford warbler. Dunwich Heath, Suffolk, England.
Highly Commended
"Hovering in the Cottonwood" by Jack Crockford
11 and Under
Category Winner
“Cutting Edge” by Jamie Smart
Leaf-cutter bee. Powys, Wales.
Runner-up
“Feeling a Bit Soggy” by Tyler Hood
Green woodpecker. Richmond Park, London, England.
Highly Commended
"The Leap of Faith" by Flynn Thaitanunde-Lobb
Collection 14
See the best images from the 2026 competition in this beautiful coffee-table book.
Foreword by Mackenzie Crook