Under 12 years
My world
PHOTOGRAPHER
Flynn Thaitanunde-Lobb
CATEGORY
Under 12 – Winner 2025
DESCRIPTION
I’d gone to the bluebell woods at sunrise to photograph deer. It was so misty, magical and peaceful. I sat waiting, listening to the silence (with pins and needles in my legs) but there were no deer. On the way back I noticed a hare sprinting along the path. I dropped to my knees and got a photo just as they reached the sunbeam. The hare, quite unaware of my presence, wandered into the light as if saying: "This is my world!".
Motherly love
PHOTOGRAPHER
Jamie Smart
CATEGORY
Under 12 – Runner-up 2025
DESCRIPTION
I was wandering around Yorkshire Wildlife Park one day with my camera and noticed two baboons peacefully embracing. I wanted to create an image of calm that relayed the love between the pair, so I isolated them against a dark background to make sure there were no other distractions.
Happy Hugo
PHOTOGRAPHER
Jamie Smart
CATEGORY
Under 12 – Commended 2025
DESCRIPTION
I took this photo of a long-necked turtle at Australia Zoo. I spent quite a long time trying to capture an image of a turtle breaching the water but was finding it very difficult because of the glass enclosure. I then spotted this one swimming directly at me, looking straight down my lens with what I can only describe as a gummy smile!
Open wide
PHOTOGRAPHER
Jamie Smart
CATEGORY
Under 12 – Commended 2025
DESCRIPTION
I took this image of a corn bunting from the car window when we were driving around looking for wildlife really early one morning. I heard him before I saw him as he was singing his heart out. I slowly lifted up the camera and managed to capture him looking straight at me with his beak wide open.
Leap of faith
PHOTOGRAPHER
Flynn Thaitanunde-Lobb
CATEGORY
Under 12 – Commended 2025
DESCRIPTION
I was on holiday in Swanage. As we were walking to the beach, I saw a pair of magpies on a rock. The sea was glittering in the sun behind them, and they were hopping from one rock to another. I had an idea – I wanted to take a photo that represented a leap of faith, so I waited until one leapt onto the next rock. Then I used editing software to turn the magpie and foreground into silhouettes.
Rise of the gannet
Photographer
Jamie Smart
Category
Under 12 – Winner 2024
Description
I’ve always loved gannets and have been drawing them for some time so finally getting to see these birds at Bempton Cliffs in Yorkshire was a dream come true for me. It was amazing to see so many after what has been a difficult time for them with avian flu. I managed to capture this one rising like a phoenix, staring down my lens with its wings outspread as it caught the wind.
Old world swallowtail
Photographer
Alex Gray
Category
Under 12 – Runner-up 2024
Description
I spent a lot of time taking photographs of bugs and butterflies, trying to master different techniques, and the old world swallowtail was the most stunning of them all. I approached quietly and slowly moved into position, thinking about the direction of the light and trying to blur and darken the background. I tried a few angles but this was the best as the contrast between the bright wings and the black backdrop makes it stand out perfectly.
Rustling spikes
Photographer
Jamie Smart
Category
Under 12 – Commended 2024
Description
We have a few hedgehogs in our garden. For the last few years, we’ve left large piles of sticks around and deliberately kept the garden wild and untouched, which has led to a wonderful increase in all sorts of wildlife. We noticed a track the hedgehogs were using and watched it for a few days. I was very lucky to photograph this one emerging from the leaves I had to lie on my belly and be very steady to get the shot.
Surfacing
Photographer
Alex Gray
Category
Under 12 – Commended 2024
Description
I love this image because it feels like the snake is coming out of the picture towards you. It took a lot of patience and perfect timing. The snake was swimming in a river and I tracked it for about 45 minutes as it kept disappearing in and out of the rocks. I positioned myself in an ideal spot and waited until its head broke through the water, with the ripples spreading around the head and the body.
Roly-poly
Photographer
Flynn Thaitanunde-Lobb
Category
Under 12 – Commended 2024
Description
One evening I was in my garden wanting to take a photo of something. All of a sudden, the local squirrel came onto our lawn, darting from one end to the other. I started to snap away, following the squirrel with my camera as best I could. It was playing with a stick and I got photos of it looking like it was doing roly-polies, singing, dancing, playing the flute and weightlifting! I’d never seen a squirrel like this before. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.