Young nature photographers capture wildlife through a lens

A love nature and the skills to capture wildlife through a lens will be showcased in the University Centre Shrewsbury’s Young Nature Photographer of the Year awards this month.

From a seal yawning and a centipede crawling to a heron hovering and a puffin posing, the work of 23 talented young wildlife photographers will be celebrated at an awards ceremony, hosted by BBC Springwatch, Autumnwatch and Winterwatch presenter, Iolo Williams on Wednesday, February 15.

Competition organiser Dr Bethan Stallwood said: “We already knew that there are lots of talented young photographers out there, but we’ve been blown away by the calibre of entries and it’s been a delight to see what their cameras have captured.

“It’s been amazing to look at the sheer range of images – from widescreen shots of whales to close up captures of forest fungi.”

Prizes for the UCS Young Nature Photographer of the Year competition will be awarded in four age categories (between five and 18) and include wildlife camera traps, Shropshire Wildlife Trust memberships and other wildlife essentials.

Bethan added: “We were overwhelmed by the quality of the 300 plus entries we received and would like to take the opportunity to thank everyone for taking the time to capture such beautiful images.”

She explained that the aim of the competition is to increase young people's engagement with nature, adding: “Our natural world is full of such enchantment, and I have been moved and delighted to see such a range in subject matter -from the conventional beauty of birds to the often-underappreciated attractiveness of invertebrates.

“Our head judge, David Woodfall, a multi-award winning, professional photographer, was incredibly impressed with the standard of the photographs and passed to pass on his personal thanks to all entrants for making his job so joyous - and challenging!”

The UCS Young Nature Photographer of the Year 2024 will be open for entries from May – December, so please follow the University’s social media platforms to find out more.