An incredible image of a football covered in invasive goose barnacles has won the top prize in the latest British Wildlife Photographer of the Year Awards. Photographer Ryan Stalker's image demonstrates the dangers of waste and refuse polluting the oceans, and what this could mean for native wildlife.
“The football was washed up in Dorset after making a huge ocean journey across the Atlantic,” says Stalker. “More rubbish in the sea could increase the risk of more creatures making it to our shores and becoming invasive species.”
The RSPB Young British Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2024was awarded to Max Wood for his impressive and atmospheric image of a coot running across a misty lake at sunrise. This award exists to encourage younger generations to get involved with wildlife and conservation.
British Wildlife Photographer of the Year celebrates the best of the United Kingdom's diverse and beautiful wildlife. The 2025 competition is already open for entries, and all skill levels of photographers are encouraged to submit their images.
Animal behaviour category runner-up – Dancing in the dark
A pair of great crested grebes (Podiceps cristatus) touch beaks in Killingworth, North Tyneside, England, United Kingdom. Photo by Matthew Glover/British Wildlife Photography Awards
Coast and marine category runner-up – Fire in the night
Fireworks anemone (Pachycerianthus multiplicatus) displaying fluorescence in Loch Fyne, Scotland, United Kingdom. These anemones live in very still water and are sensitive to the slightest movement. If disturbed, they will retract very quickly. Photo by Dan Bolt/British Wildlife Photography Awards
Black and white category winner – Raven above Arran
A raven flies high over the top of Goatfell on the Isle of Arran, the highest mountain on the island, Scotland, United Kingdom. Photo by Robin Dodd/British Wildlife Photography Awards
A group of slime moulds (Comatricha nigra) photographed in Essex, England, United Kingdom. Each head on these fruiting bodies is approximately 1mm wide. Photo by Jason McCombe/British Wildlife Photography Awards
Habitat category winner – The tightrope walker
A red fox (Vulpes vulpes) takes a walk across a tree branch in Sherwood Pines Forest Park, Nottinghamshire, England, United Kingdom. Photo by Daniel Valverde Fernandez/British Wildlife Photography Awards
Urban wildlife category runner-up – What's the fuss all about?
In this photograph, an Arctic walrus (Odobenus rosmarus) rests on the harbour slipway in Scarborough, England, United Kingdom, after coming ashore. Photo by Will Palmer/British Wildlife Photography Awards
Hidden Britain category winner – Three's a crowd
Three common blue butterflies (Polyommatus icarus) photographed at Vealand Farm, Devon, England, United Kingdom. Photo by Ross Hoddinott /British Wildlife Photography Awards
12-14 years category winner – Mother and fawn
A mother and young roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) in woodland, Sherfield on Loddon, England, United Kingdom. Photo by Felix Walker-Nix/British Wildlife Photography Awards
Wild woods category winner – Beech for the sky
A canopy of beech trees (Fagus sylvatica) in East Lothian, Scotland, United Kingdom. Photo by Graham Niven/British Wildlife Photography Awards
Urban wildlife category winner – Day walker
This vixen (Vulpes vulpes) had taken up residence in an electricity substation after being pushed out of her parental territory, Bristol, England, United Kingdom. Photo by Simon Withyman/British Wildlife Photography Awards
11 and under category winner – Spring's treasures
A pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) sits on a fence on a cold and misty morning in Mid Wales, United Kingdom. Photo by Jamie Smart/British Wildlife Photography Awards
Habitat category runner-up – The crop thief
A brown hare (Lepus europaeus) munches on some crops in the early evening at Nantwich, Cheshire, United Kingdom. Photo by Steven Allcock/British Wildlife Photography Awards
Botanical Britain category runner-up – Rainbow at dawn
A type of bushy seaweed known as rainbow wrack (Cystoseira tamariscifolia) is shown below the surface of the water, photographed as the sun rises. Photographed in Falmouth, Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. Photo by Martin Stevens/British Wildlife Photography Awards
Flower crab spider (Misumena vatia) and Honey bee (Apis mellifera)in very close proximity while both inhabiting an ox-eyed daisy flower. This photo was taken in a patch of land along the A30 in Devon, United Kingdom, that has been left untouched for a long time. This makes it a haven for wildflowers and the wildlife that inhabits it. Photo by Lucien Harris/British Wildlife Photography Awards
Animal behaviour category winner – Three frogs in amplexus
A trio of common frogs (Rana temporaria) float on the water's surface as they are in amplexus. In this mating position, the male frog grasps the female from behind using his legs. Photographed in Perthshire, Scotland, United Kingdom. Photo by Ian Mason/British Wildlife Photography Awards
Youth category overall winner – Running on water
A coot (Fulica atra) skips and flies over Frensham Little Pond, Surrey, England, United Kingdom. Photo by Max Wood/British Wildlife Photography Awards
Animal portraits category runner-up – Sunrise hare
A brown hare (Lepus europaeus) stares straight at the camera in Nottinghamshire, England, United Kingdom. Photo by Spencer Burrows/British Wildlife Photography Awards
Black and white category runner-up – Squirrel silhouette
A red squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris) photographed mid-jump in Cumbria, England, United Kingdom. Photo by Rosamund Macfarlane/British Wildlife Photography Awards
Animal portraits category winner – Starling at night
Common starling (Sturnus vulgaris) Garden, Solihull, West Midlands, England, United Kingdom. Photo by Mark Williams/British Wildlife Photography Awards
Overall winner – Ocean drifter
A football that is covered in Goose barnacles (Thoracica) below the waterline. The football washed up on the coast in Dorset, United Kingdom, after making a huge ocean journey across the Atlantic. Goose barnacles are not native to the UK but can wash up on our shores during powerful Atlantic storms. Photo by Ryan Stalker/British Wildlife Photography Awards
James Cutmore is the picture editor of BBC Science Focus Magazine. He has worked on the magazine and website for over a decade, telling compelling science stories through the use of striking imagery. He holds a degree in Fine Art, and has been nominated for the British Society of Magazine Editors Talent Awards, being highly commended in 2020. His main areas of interest include photography that highlights positive technology and the natural world. For many years he was a judge for the Wellcome Trust's image competition, as well as judging for the Royal Photographic Society.
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