2008 - 2007 - 2006 - 2005 - 2004 - 2003

CATEGORIES: Overall Winner & Under 18s | Portfolio | Birds in Britain | Birds in Flight | Birds of the World | Amateur | Bird Behaviour | Birds in the Landscape

JUDGES:
Chris Packham: TV wildlife expert and photographer
David Tipling: Top wildlife photographer
Ben Weeks: Training and Technical Development Manager, Warehouse Express
Sheena Harvey: Editor, Bird Watching Magazine
Mike Weedon: Assistant Editor, Bird Watching Magazine

Overall Winner
Category: UNDER 18s

Winner: Mart Smit, Netherlands - Whooper Swan (Canon EOS 40D)

What the judges said: "This is a beautifully simple image, perfect and like a lithograph. I could imagine it hanging on my wall."

Mart was born in 1991 in the Netherlands. His father is a birdwatcher and photographer who taught him a lot about nature and taking pictures. He was one of the winners of the BBC Young Wildlife Photographers of the Year in 2005 and 2006, and winner of the youth category of the Glanzlichter in Germany in 2007. The prize money from these competitions enabled him to buy his own camera equipment, rather than relying on borrowing his father’s. The picture of the Whooper Swan was taken in South Sweden on a camping trip where the temperatures were -20°C! Mart hopes eventually to make a career of nature photography. You can visit his website at www.martsmit.nl.

Runner Up: Sam Rowley, UK - House Sparrows (Nikon D200)

What the judges said: "This is an interesting example of urban wildlife and the monochrome treatment is used to great effect."

Sam Rowley is 14 years old who began his love of wildlife photography on a family safari when his father came him a simple point-and-shoot camera. He goes frequently go to the London Wetland Centre near his home. He has his own website: www.sam-rowley.com, and has ambitions eventually to be a professional wildlife photographer.

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Category: PORTFOLIO

Winner: Jose Grandio, Spain - Brambling (Nikon D2X)

What the judges said: "This is a perfect illustration of an event and how the same scene can be depicted in three quite different ways."

Jose is from Spain and has been a wildbird photographer for eight years. He publishes his images in magazines and Spanish books. He has specialised in making studies of bird migration that have been published in scientific magazines. Although he prefers to take his photographs close to home because that gives him time to fulfil more photography projects, he has also travelled all over Spain, as well as Scotland, Norway and Iceland.

Runner Up: Tom Schandy, Norway - Capercaillie (Canon EOS 1D Mk III)

What the judges said: "These photographs tell a nice story and it was bold and original to focus predominantly on the less colourful female."

Tom Schandy was born in 1962 and lives in Norway. He qualified as a biologist at the University of Oslo and made his thesis on the lekking behaviour of the Great Snipe. He has worked as conservation and information officer for World Wide Fund for Norway, but now he is working full time as a freelance photographer, author and editor. He has published more than 20 books, some of which have been translated to Swedish, English and Spanish. He is a member of the Association of Norwegian Non-fiction Writers and Translators and has been the leader of the Norwegian Nature Photographer Society for a number of years. Visit his website at www.tomschandy.no

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Winner: Phillip Thomas, UK - Red Grouse (Nikon D300)

What the judges said: “This looks like a painting. It epitomises dawn on a moor, with beautiful lighting capturing the perfect moment.”

Phillip’s passion for wildlife and photography started in his teens. For some years his career as a lecturer in horticulture prevented him from indulging too much in his hobby. However, he returned to photography five years ago and having recently been made redundant at the age of 50, he is now trying to spend as much time as possible out with his camera, and has recently enrolled on a part time BA Hons course in Photographic Practice.

Runner Up: Andy Parkinson, UK - Coot

What the judges said: "The photographer is really making something of what could be said to be a mundane bird. Nice colours and nicely positioned in the frame."

Andy is a professional wildlife photographer whose images are sold all over the world through a network of international agencies, including Getty Images, Corbis, RSPB Images, NaturePL, FLPA, Lonely Planet Images and Foto Natura. He is very much a project photographer who enjoys photographing subjects over weeks, months and even years. Over the last two years he has worked exclusively in the UK, building up his coverage of UK subjects. He is 37 years old and lives in Derbyshire with wife Claire.

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Winner: Marcus Varesvuo, Finland - Black Woodpecker (Canon EOS 1D Mk III)

What the judges said: "This picture gives a real sense of place. The reflection from the snow brings out the detail of the bird – this is a difficult thing to achieve with predominantly black birds."

Marcus was born in Helsinki in 1960. He has been a full-time wildlife photographer since 2005, specialising in bird species of the Western palearctic. He has been a winner and runner-up in the IWP competition in 2003, 2004, 2006 and 2007. He is the author of Survivors – Birds of Snow and Ice, Nature Guide to Lapland, Basic Birds of Finland and joint autor of Birds by Water. He is the co-founder of the birdphoto.fi website.

Runner Up: Bence Máté - Roller

What the judges said: "The beak position and the way the colour is brought out is perfect. The bird is wrapping itself into the composition nicely."

Bence started photography at the age of 13, in 1999, when he bought his first camera with pocket money he’d saved. Since 2004 he has been a professional bird photographer. With his girlfriend and two friends he has established a company called Hidephotography to build bird photography centres around the world. The first centre in Hungary has been running for three years and they are currently building hides for their second base in Costa Rica. His work is sponsored by National Geography Hungary and Nikon Hungary.

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Winner: Roy Mangersnes, Norway - Gentoo Penguins (Canon EOS 1D Mk III)

What the judges said: "The three elements of this photograph are positioned perfectly, showing good use of format and cropping. The exposure has been judged well, given how difficult it is to achieve on snow."

Roy is a nature photographer living on the south-western coast of Norway, near Stavanger. He bought his first SLR while taking a Masters Degree in Animal Behaviour in 2000. He is the youngest member of the Norwegian Professional Nature Photographers Society (NN), and has had work published in magazines and books in Norway and abroad. He was Nature Photographer of the Year in Norway in 2006, and category runner up in the International Bird Photographers Award the same year. He has a website at www.wildphoto.no and a blog at www.roywildphoto.blogspot.com.

Runner Up: Bence Máté - Dalmatian Pelican (Nikon D200)

What the judges said: "This picture has great impact."

Bence started photography at the age of 13, in 1999, when he bought his first camera with pocket money he’d saved. Since 2004 he has been a professional bird photographer. With his girlfriend and two friends he has established a company called Hidephotography to build bird photography centres around the world. The first centre in Hungary has been running for three years and they are currently building hides for their second base in Costa Rica. His work is sponsored by National Geography Hungary and Nikon Hungary.

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Winner: Michael Gallagher, UK - Grey Heron (Canon EOS 40D)

What the judges said: “Beautiful lighting gives this photo real atmosphere. It’s a spiritual moment for the bird – Michaelangelo’s heron."

Michael grew up in Australia but has lived in London for the past eight years, where he works as a lawyer for an investment bank. He dedicates most of his spare time to wildlife photography, whether it be the birds on and around the River Thames on a weekend away or when he’s lucky enough to get a longer break from work. He has just finished putting together his first book of wildlife photography and is now hoping to find a publisher!

Runner Up: Mary Braddock, UK - Shearwater (Pentax K100D)

What the judges said: “A delightful portrait of one of the great charismatic seabirds reflected in the pure azure glass of a perfect sea."

Mary Braddock is in her mid-50s, married to Dave and living in Surrey. She is a Nurse Practitioner working full time in the community with people who have diabetes. For the past nine years, in her spare time, she has been Leader of the North West Surrey RSPB Local Group and her wildlife photography is self-taught.

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Winner: Tom Schandy, Norway - Black Grouse (Canon EOS 1D Mk III)

What the judges said: “This great colour combination has a monochromatic feel. You can imagine the photographer sitting in a hide on a cold frosty morning, hearing the noise and watching that great comedy face.”

Tom was born in 1962 and lives in Norway. A qualified biologist and former conservation and information officer for World Wide Fund for Norway, he is now working full time as a freelance photographer, author and editor. He has published more than 20 books, some of which have been translated into Swedish, English and Spanish. He is a member of the Association of Norwegian Non-fiction Writers and Translators and has been the leader of the Norwegian Nature Photographers Society for a number of years. Visit his website at www.tomschandy.no

Runner Up: Arto Juvonen, Finland - Crossbill (Canon EOS 1D Mk III)

What the judges said: "It’s the abundant seedy puke which lifts this shot above just another at-the-nest image."

Arto was born in 1957, and is an ornithologist of long-standing who lives in Pernaja on the south coast of Finland. He’s a part-time professional photographer who has devoted himself entirely to bird photography in recent years. He works mostly in areas close to his home, and is the Webmaster of www.birdphoto.fi.

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Winner: Mike Frakes, Australia - Great Egret and Silver Gulls (Pentax K10D)

What the judges said: “The bird has been captured in the perfect position – any further and it would have disappeared into the reflections. It gives a great sense of the juxtaposition of wildlife and the urban environment.”

Mike bought his first SLR while studying native Australian birds as part of a Forestry and Wildlife Management degree at university. After meeting Steve Bloom in 2007 he decided to make his photography stand for something, and is building a library and website aimed at helping wildlife organisations and refuges around the world fund their projects. Mike is now a teacher in the field of behavioural education, and loves the challenge of wildlife photography, as moments can change in the blink of an eye.

Runner Up: Danny Green, UK - Brünnich’s Guillemots (Canon EOS 1D Mk II)

What the judges said: "This is nicely framed with lovely colours and a wonderful three-dimensional quality. The photographer has really taken into account the structure of the rock."

Danny’s first attempts at photography were in his late teens and over the past 18 years he has travelled to many parts of the world in search of images. However, he feels he produces his best work in his local area where he can work on subjects for long periods of time. In 2007 he was the Overall Winner in the International Wild bird Photographer of the Year competition. In the same year, he also won the Urban and Garden Wildlife category in the Shell Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition. He lives in Leicestershire with his wife Liz and children, Thomas and Megan.

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