Young RSPCA

Photographer: Oliver Porter
Category: Under 12 Mobile phone and devices - Winner 2017
Title: Let it shine
Description: On holiday in Wales we were on a walk when my brother spotted this dung beetle on the ferns. I like the shiny blue wing casing of the beetle as it really stands out against the bright green ferns. I also really like the patterns the ferns make in the background. Taken with an iPhone 5s.

Photographer: Robert Jones
Category: Under 12 Mobile phone and device - Runner-up 2017
Title: Saving Mr Bee
Description: Me and Mum have honey to save tired bees - we found one inside and here he is drinking our honey. I love this picture. Taken on a Huawei p9. It's great to help tired bees, but the RSPCA recommends giving them sugar water rather than honey.

Photographer: Marlon Darragh
Category: 12-15 Mobile phone and devices - Winner 2017
Title: Milou
Description: I enjoy taking photos on my phone, but on this occasion I had lost it so took my dad's iPad outside. Our cat Milou was lounging in the sun on the patio, and I saw the perfect opportunity for a photo. I took this one just as she yawned and stretched. I particularly like the contrast between her white fur and the dark grey slate, and the way her whiskers really stand out. Taken with an iPad Pro.

Photographer: Tom Warrilow
Category: 12-15 Mobile phone and devices - Runner-up 2017
Title: Blue strands
Description: I took this picture of a cylinder anemone (colour tubed anemone) at the Biarritz Aquarium in France. It looked like something from another planet, like a fruit that could have grown there. I found it interesting to look at as the strands were being moved by the current and it was glowing. Taken with an iPhone SE.

Photographer: Lily Edwards
Category: 16-18 Mobile phone and devices - Winner 2017
Title: Buzzy bee
Description: I took this photo in my garden one day when I noticed a bee buzzing around the lavender. It took me many attempts to capture a clear photo because it was moving pretty quickly - obviously it was a busy bee! Before I discovered macro photography I never truly appreciated the intricacy of small insects like this bee. I was surprised when I looked at the photo and saw the intricate features; its face for example is so prominent and it almost looks as if it's smiling. Taken with an iPhone 6 using a clip-on macro lens.

Photographer: Lily Edwards
Category: 16-18 Mobile phone and devices - Runner-up 2017
Title: Green shield
Description: I took this photo in my garden one day when I noticed a small green insect. It took me many attempts to capture a clear photo because it was wandering along the fence pretty quickly. But when I managed to snap a photo I was surprised to see all the detail that I didn't notice with my naked eye - the spots for example are not noticeable from a distance but can really be seen in the photo. Taken with an iPhone 6 using a clip-on macro lens.

Photographer: Thomas Easterbrook
Category: Under 12 - Winner 2017
Title: Holiday hawk-moth
Description: We were having lunch outside in the summer. I had my camera with me as I had been taking photos of a hoopoe in the garden, when I noticed this visitor to a flower right next to where we were sitting.

Photographer: Joshua Kneale
Category: Under 12 - Runner-up 2017
Title: Five-spot burnet
Description: I took this photo in my garden. This summer we had many species of moths and butterflies. I was lucky enough to spot a five-spot burnet resting on his flower. I like the metallic black on the body and the symmetrical red spots. It really stands out against the white petals.

Photographer: Lyra Sweeney
Category: Under 12 Commended 2017
Title: Resting swan
Description: I took this photo from a bridge in Cambridge with a very long zoom. I think the angle from above really helped to capture every flawless detail of the swan. I really enjoyed capturing the elegance and tenderness of it.

Photographer: Joshua Myers
Category: 12-15 - Winner 2017
Title: Wolf spider in the garden
Description: I am relatively new to macro photography and was looking for suitable things to practise on. I have always been a bit wary of spiders, but at the same time find the different types fascinating. I took this photograph on the decking in my back garden as there were lots of these soaking up the sun. I believe they are a species of wolf spider, possibly a fake wolf spider. I had to take quite a few shots to get one I was happy with as the macro lens has a very shallow depth of field. Seeing these animals up close - seeing all the small details and how complex they are - has given me a greater respect for them.

Photographer: Daniel Zhang
Category: 12-15 - Runner-up 2017
Title: Cunning cub
Description: A golden outline was all I could make out as this red cub crept along the bank of the pond looking for food. These predators have a very versatile diet; their prey ranges from fruits to nuts, grasshoppers to lizards - basically anything they can find. I waited silently in the hide for a total of three days to get this shot. It was at sunset when I captured this photo, which gave the fox its golden effect.

Photographer: Joshua Myers
Category: 12-15 - Commended 2017
Title: Playful weasel kit
Description: This baby weasel is probably the highlight of my time photographing wildlife so far. It was taken on a trip I made to some local woodland in Sheffield with my grandparents and sister to photograph the bluebells. I saw two of the weasels run across the path as we approached the woods and when I got closer they were playing in the leaf litter. They were unafraid of me and when I crouched to get a closer photograph they came right up to me. I never saw the parent weasel but the kits were still happily playing when I left them after taking my pictures. It was probably a once-in-a-lifetime encounter, one that I will remember forever.

Photographer: Gideon Knight
Category: 16-18 Winner and Overall winner 2017
Title: A stab in the dark
Description: On a winter morning, a little egret fishes in a shallow canal in my local park. These birds are rare visitors here so I approached carefully as close as I could get without spooking the egret. The bright morning light, coupled with a shadowed area behind the bird, created this stark contrast of black and white and highlighted the droplets of water created by the fishing egret.

Photographer: Mairi Eyres
Category: 16-18 - Runner-up 2017
Title: Feast of colour
Description: This photo was my ray of sunshine during the exam period. The table I sit at for revising overlooks a patio with lots of flowers around the edge. I'd spotted this hummingbird hawk-moth a few times before but on previous occasions I'd either been too steeped in revision or by the time I'd got outside with my camera the moth had disappeared. This time when I saw it I dropped my revision (literally) and raced out with my camera. The morning light was just hitting the lawn behind making a beautiful bright backdrop to frame the hummingbird hawk-moth against.

Photographer: Matt Roseveare
Category: 16-18 Commended 2017
Title: Breathing dawn
Description: I took this photo at dawn on a spring morning in the New Forest National Park. The combination of cold air, early morning light and mist made it appear as though this Highland cow was breathing fire.

Photographer: Gideon Knight
Category: Portfolio - Winner 2017
Title: Beak-to-beak
Description: A recently fledged coot chick swims up to its parent to take food. I took this picture to show the connection between the adult bird and its offspring - a tender moment in the hectic and often aggressive life of a coot!

Photographer: Gideon Knight
Category: Portfolio - Winner 2017
Title: Young one
Description: A recently hatched coot chick swims around near its nest. Opting for a close-up image, I was able to focus on the wiry orange feathers of this young coot.

Photographer: Gideon Knight
Category: Portfolio - Winner 2017
Title: Reflection
Description: Taken in bright winter sunlight this coot swam on the edge of a shadow caused by a bridge over the lake. The shadow created the dark background while the sunlight lit up the bird.

Photographer: Gideon Knight
Category: Portfolio - Winner 2017
Title: Dancing on ice
Description: After preening, the coot shakes its wings off while standing on the frozen lake. The position of the wings makes it look almost as though the bird were dancing.

Photographer: Gideon Knight
Category: Portfolio - Winner 2017
Title: Sunset
Description: A coot at sunset. The low sunlight reflecting off the water highlights the detail in the coot's bill.

Photographer: Mairi Eyres
Category: Portfolio - Runner-up 2017
Title: Stem
Description: Crouched close to the ground, I was struck by the strong vertical lines made by these grass stems against the sky. I wanted to capture a simple image showing a soldier beetle navigating its way through this vertical landscape.

Photographer: Mairi Eyres
Category: Portfolio - Runner-up 2017
Title: Lone crow
Description: I'd been eyeing up the beautiful shapes of this tree for a while, but I hadn't been able to find a good focal point for a photo. This crow perched at the tip of one of the branches made a beautiful silhouette and provided the perfect subject among the maze of branches.

Photographer: Mairi Eyres
Category: Portfolio - Runner-up 2017
Title: Roosting frenzy
Description: This photo was taken at Aberystwyth pier as the starlings were coming back to roost. I used a slow shutter speed to capture the chaotic movement of the birds as they tried to find a place to land.

Photographer: Mairi Eyres
Category: Portfolio - Runner-up 2017
Title: Take off
Description: After spotting a small group of starlings perched on some overhead wires, I just had time to take this photo before they flew off. I like the dynamic curves of the starlings' wings against the straight uncompromising lines of the wires.

Photographer: Mairi Eyres
Category: Portfolio - Runner-up 2017
Title: Diagonals
Description: I spent some time trying to frame these pigeons within the harsh man-made forms of the pier. I like the way the angle of one of the pigeon's heads echoes the diagonals running through the photo.

Photographer: Gideon Knight
Category: Portfolio - Commended 2017
Title: Herring gull
Description: In seaside towns and cities around Britain herring gulls are thriving. Here, one prepares to sweep to grab a morsel of food from the roof of a car.

Photographer: Gideon Knight
Category: Portfolio - Commended 2017
Title: Cormorant
Description: Unseen by most passers-by, a majestic cormorant sit on a rusting metal post above the Thames to a backdrop of a skyscraper and a London bus. I feel the components of this image help tell the story of the urban jungle in which this bird lives.

Photographer: Gideon Knight
Category: Portfolio - Commended 2017
Title: Red fox
Description: A red fox vixen scavenges for food around bins in an urban London park.

Photographer: Gideon Knight
Category: Portfolio - Commended 2017
Title: Moorhen
Description: A moorhen creeps through a tree at the edge of a lake in an urban park silhouetted by the streetlights behind.

Photographer: Gideon Knight
Category: Portfolio - Commended 2017
Title: Jay
Description: Once a shy woodland bird, in recent years the jay has become more abundant in urban areas and is increasingly tolerant of humans.