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Tiny creatures and tranquil landscapes in prize-winning photos

Wednesday 25th October 2017

Oxford Festival of Nature photo competition winners

A copper-coloured butterfly on wild carrot flower, a lizard resting among heather and atmospheric woodlands are the prize-winning photographs in the third annual Oxford Festival of Nature Photography Competition. All the photographs were taken on the Wildlife Trust’s nature reserves, and show the beauty of wildlife in close-up as well as the tranquillity of landscapes.

The Overall Winner, and winner of the Wildlife category, is Matthew Hearne from Didcot with his long-lens view through the heather of a common lizard on Snelsmore Common nature reserve near Newbury.

Matthew was visiting the Common with his children, and although he often goes there, he had never seen a lizard before. This is the first time Matthew has won a photo competition! His first prize is a Panasonic camera and a ProHides photography day with top wildlife photographer Elliott Neep.

See all the prize-winning photographs.

Young Photographer is Adam Dewar (14) from Lower Earley, Reading who captured an amazing shot of an Essex Skipper butterfly poised on a wild carrot flower at Hosehill Lake nature reserve at Theale. Adam and his family were on their own ‘fun photo competition’ visit to the nature reserve when he took this, and his mother Helen sent it in.

The Woods Are Lovely is the title of an atmospheric black and white photo of Whitecross Green Wood nature reserve on the Oxfordshire/Buckinghamshire borders. This won first prize in the Wild Places category for Jess Moore from Great Milton in Oxfordshire.

This year the categories included People and Wildlife, an opportunity to take a portrait of someone in their favourite spot on a BBOWT nature reserve. Charlie Gray who lives in Calcot, Reading, was out with his son Nick and their dog Muffin at Wokefield Common nature reserve last December when the late afternoon sunshine lit up the woodland. Charlie took his prize-winning photo on his mobile phone and won the Smartphone category too. Charlie says that he and Muffin enjoy the peacefulness of the woodland at Wokefield Common.

BBOWT is very grateful for the generous donations of prizes from Panasonic UK and Elliott Neep ProHides Photography.