After thousands of entries we reveal who are this year's winners of our wildlife photography contest

Constest Winnig Pic

After the staggering response to our fabulous first wildlife photo competition in 2014, when we were inundated with thousands of dazzling pictures, we’d have been daft not to do it again. So last summer we invited you once more to send us your photos of creatures in their natural British habitats – be it a blue tit in your back garden or a stag in the Scottish Highlands – and again you didn’t disappoint.

Here then are the winners of our Great British Wildlife Photography Challenge, and in the opinion of our seven expert judges they’re the best yet. From adorable hedgehog triplets and bashful seals to the serene beauty of deer bathed in sunlight in a London park and the striking image of two beady-eyed owls on a tree stump, the entries flooded in – their variety and brilliance making judging a tricky but enjoyable business.

The competition was split into five categories – Mammals, Birds, Insects, and Fish, Reptiles, Molluscs And Amphibians, plus a Juniors category for under-18s – and our five celebrity judges were each assigned one.
Bill Oddie looked at Birds, Philippa Forrester took Mammals, Springwatch’s Martin Hughes-Games judged the Insects, Ben Fogle had Fish, Reptiles, Molluscs And Amphibians while Countryfile’s Ellie Harrison cast her eye over the Juniors. Then, with the help of our two technical judges – Gray Levett, editor of Nikon Owner magazine, and wildlife photographer Simon Stafford – each chose a winner in their category, with one entry – those delightful owls on our cover – unanimously voted the Overall Winner.

‘I was surprised and delighted by the entries,’ says Gray Levett. ‘There were great shots of unique behaviour and portraits of intimate moments that demonstrated to me there’s a huge photographic talent out there, while also proving how much we love our wildlife.’

So what makes a winning shot? Bill Oddie says, ‘What sets the winners apart is their sense of composition – finding the art in nature. It’s imagination that counts. Technology’s important but the person’s eye matters most.

source http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-3454581/Wildlife-photography-contest-winning-pictures.html