British Wildlife Photography Award: The best photos of 2016 revealed as winners announced
An image of a shoal of baby fish taking refuge in the tentacles of a giant jellyfish has scooped first price at the 2016 British Wildlife Photography Awards.
Stunning close-ups of baby spiders and tadpoles, a black and white image of a bird flying past a skyscraper lost in fog and a series which follow a weasel through the season were among other winning shots.
George Stoyle, from Muston, North Yorkshire, won the overall prize of £5,000 for his image of a huge lion's mane jellyfish and its “Hitchhikers” shot in the sea off the Scottish coast during a study into Biology in sea caves.
He said: "At the end of one of the dives I was swimming back to the boat when I came face-to -face with the largest jellyfish I've ever encountered.
Category winners:
Coast and marine - Hitchhikers, George Stoyle, North Yorkshire;
Animal portraits - Mountain Hare, Jamie Mina, Glasgow;
Animal behaviour - Back Garden Babies, Jacqueline Spindley, Nottinghamshire;
Urban wildlife - The Supermarket Starling, Geoff Trevarthen, Launceston, Cornwall;
Hidden Britain - Emergence, Stephen Darlington, East Moseley, Surrey;
Wild woods - Twisted Green, Steve Palmer , Wilmslow, Cheshire;
Habitat - Living Space, Bass Rock, Charles Everitt , Edinburgh;
Botanical - Bird Seed, David Maitland, Feltwell, Norfolk;
Close to nature - Tadpoles, Jeanette Sakel, Bristol;
British nature in black and white - Free Bird, Chaitanya Deshpande, London;
British seasons - Common Weasel, Robert E Fuller, Malton,Yorkshire;
Documentary series - Harvest Mice, Nick Upton, Corsham, Wiltshire;
Wildlife in HD video - Spring on the River, Liam Marsh, Buckland St Mary, Chard, Somerset;
Under 12 category - Cygnet with Swan, Seren Waite, 10, London;
12-18 years category - Kung Fu Puffins, Rebecca Bunce, 18, Reading.
"As I approached cautiously I noticed that a number of juvenile fish had taken refuge inside the stinging tentacles."
David Nussbaum, chief executive of WWF-UK which sponsored the coast and marine category in the awards, which Mr Stoyle also won with his photograph, said the competition celebrated the "diversity, splendour and drama" of UK wildlife.
"This year's winning image is a striking example of the natural beauty and variety of life we have within and around our shores, as well as the skill and artistry of our wildlife photographers," he said.
"The photo exquisitely captures the voluptuous frills and folds, and kaleidoscope colours of this giant jellyfish."
He added: "But it's the jelly's piscean 'stowaways' that make this picture, a shoal of shimmering, glistening juvenile fish finding safe harbour amongst the tangle of tentacles."
Pictures were awarded in 15 categories, including an urban wildlife section won by an image of a starling on a supermarket trolley and a documentary series which recorded efforts to track rare harvest mice.
In the junior categories, 18-year Rebecca Bunce from Reading won for her Kung Fu Puffins shot of the seabirds tussling on Skomer Island, Pembrokeshire, Wales.
Ten-year-old Londoner Seren Waite scooped top prize for a shot called Cygnet with Swan.
The winning images, video and highly commended entries can be viewed at http://www.bwpawards.co.uk.
Incredible jellyfish picture wins British Wildlife Photography Award British Wildlife Photography AwardsBritish Wildlife Photography Awards 2016 - Winners
British Wildlife Photography Awards 2016 - Winners
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1/16 Hitchhikers - a Lion's mane jellyfish
Winning photograph in the Coast and Marine category and BWPA 2016 overall winner
George Toyle/BPWA Awards
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2/16 Contemplation - a Mountain hare
Winning photograph in the Animal Portraits category
Jamie Mina/BPWA Awards
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3/16 Back Garden Babies - Garden spiders
Winning photograph in the Animal Behaviour category
Jacqueline Spindley/BPWA Awards
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4/16 Cygnet with Swan
Winning photograph in the Under-12 category
Seren Waite/BPWA Awards
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5/16 Common Weasel
Winning photograph in the British Seasons (Winter) category
Robert E Fuller/BPWA Awards
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6/16 Free Bird
winning photograph in the British Nature in Black and White category
Chaitanya Deshpande/BPWA Awards
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7/16 Kung Fu Puffin
Winning photograph in the 12 to 18 Years category
Becky Bunce/BPWA Awards
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8/16 Bird Seed - Silver birch seeds in a Garden Spider web
Winning photograph in the Botanical category
David Maitland/BPWA Awards
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9/16 Emergence - a dragonfly transformation
Winning photograph in the Hidden Britain category
Stephen Darlington/BPWA Awards
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10/16 Tadpoles
Winning photograph in the Closer to Nature category
Jeannette Sakel/BPWA Awards
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11/16 Living Space - Gannets on Bass Rock
Winning photograph in the Habitat category
Charles Everitt/BPWA Awards
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12/16 The Supermarket Starling
Winning photograph in the Urban Wildlife category.
Geoff Trevarthen/BPWA Awards
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13/16 Twisted Green - a pedunculate oak
Wnning photograph in the Wild Woods category
Steve Palme/BPWA Awards
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14/16 Common Weasel
Winning photograph in the British Seasons (Autumn) category
Robert E Fuller/BPWA Awards
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15/16 Common Weasel
Winning photograph in the British Seasons (Spring) category
Robert E Fuller/BPWA Awards
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16/16 Common Weasel
Winning photograph in the British Seasons (Summer) category
Robert E Fuller/BPWA Awards