Mammal Photographer of the Year 2019

Mammals are some of our most difficult creatures to photograph in the UK. Entrants to our photo competition prove every year that they are more than up to the challenge of capturing images of these elusive animals, and we expect this year to be no exception.

Each year over 300 entries are received and judged by our panel of wildlife photography experts, and the prizes are presented at the opening of the Mammal Society Spring Conference, which in 2019 will be held at the University of Glasgow on 29-31 March. We are delighted that prizes this year will be presented by our Cranbrook speaker, nature and conservation photographer, Peter Cairns.

This year’s competition is open from Wednesday 24 October 2018, coinciding with the 2018 National Mammal Week.

If you have recently (no earlier than 01.10.2017) taken a prize-winning mammalian photo and would like to enter this year’s competition, please review the categories listed and be sure to read the terms and conditions below before sending your photos to photos@themammalsociety.org by midnight on Friday 1 March 2019. Please make sure that you include:

• your name in the image title so that we can credit you accordingly;
• your full name, location and other contact details (including telephone number);
• a brief description of where the photograph was taken and the story behind it;
• if you are a member of the Mammal Society, your membership number to allow you to be automatically entered in the Mammal Society member’s photo category (joining the Mammal Society is simple and costs less than a cup of coffee a month, find out more here).

You can view the winning photos from 2018 in our Mammal Photographer of the Year press release here.

MPOY 2019  Categories

Mammals of Great Britain

Have you captured a prize-winning photo of a British mammal? Winners of this category will be well balanced, dynamic and striking photos that catch the eye.

1^st prize: An all-inclusive conservation holiday in Dorset with Wild Days Conservation from 14-19 July 2019. Please note that while this holiday is all inclusive, travel to and from the meeting place is not included. For more information click here.

2^nd prize: A  two night mid week stay for two in a luxury yurt at Knepp Wildland Safaris in West Sussex. 

 

Young Mammal Photographer of the Year

Are you an aspiring Mammal Photographer aged 18 or under? If so, this is the category for you. Prizes will once again be split into winners aged 15 and under, and ages 16-18.

1^st prize aged 16-18: A day of mammal photography at the Westcountry Wildlife Photography Centre

1^st prize aged 15 and under: £50 Gift Voucher from NHBS

 

There are additional prizes for:

Best photograph taken by a Mammal Society member: A British Wildlife Magazine subscription for a year from NHBS (make sure you let us know that you are a member of the Mammal Society when you enter. To become a member click here).

Best “Mammal Comedian” photo: a pair of Vivara Tringa 10 x 26 Binoculars and a copy of the book A Year in British Wildlife: A month by month Guide to what to see and how to find it from CJ Wildlife

 

The 2019 Judges

Peter Cairns

Peter Cairns is a nature and conservation photographer with 20 years professional experience under his belt. Co-founder of major communications initiatives such as Tooth & Claw, Wild Wonders of Europe and 2020VISION, Peter is also co-founder of the social enterprise SCOTLAND: The Big Picture, a team of professional communicators informing and inspiring the conversation around rewilding in Scotland. He is a serving Board member of Scottish rewilding charity Trees for Life and a Senior Fellow of the International League of Conservation Photographers. He lives in the heart of the Cairngorms National Park with his family.

Brett Lewis

Brett is a freelance Consultant Ecologist and full member of the Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management (CIEEM) with extensive project management experience in both the ecological consultancy and academic research sectors. 

Brett is also a celebrated wildlife photographer with publications in many of the national newspapers, magazines and online media. Brett’s work also appears in academic journals and is used to illustrate scientific publications. He is an active member of his local wildlife recording groups including the Kent Mammal Group, Kent Bat Group and Kent Reptile and Amphibian Group.  

“I love to spend time seeking out our native wildlife. I’m always looking to read and enjoy stories that reflect peoples encounters and first-hand experiences of the natural world.”

Hilary Conlan

Hilary has been editor of the Mammal News for 5 years. She is currently an associate lecturer at Anglia Ruskin University and is working on a PhD on Pollinators. “After my undergrad degree finished in 2010, I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to work as a research assistant at the Animal Behaviour Research Unit in Mikumi National Park, Tanzania, for 18 months. Collecting food preference choices made by a habituated baboon troop was, in effect, an 18 month walking safari. However I feel as privileged being able to watch wild animals in Britain and hope to encourage everyone to take the opportunities on their own doorstep.”

Terms and Conditions

1. You can email up to 5 photos of British mammals in JPEG format, up to 5Mb (1Mb minimum), telling us where the photo was taken, with any story that goes with it. Please keep large resolution copies of your photos, in case your entry is placed, for promotional and printing purposes. Please make sure that you include your name in the image title so that we can credit you accordingly.
2. Please tell us your full name, age (if 18 or under), category you are entering, Mammal Society membership number if applicable, location and contact details with your submissions.
3. Mammals must be British species and must have been photographed within the British Isles (including UK & Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland, Channel Islands., Scottish Islands, Isle of Man). Animals in zoos, pet animals and farm animals are not eligible, with the exception detailed in (4).
4. Photographs of small mammals* in captivity** are allowed so long as they are still free to move and behave as they would in the wild. Animals must not be captured for the purposes of photography, and images must not be contrived to the extent that the animal cannot move or behave freely and naturally.
5. The Mammal Society does not condone any loss to the highest levels of welfare for any animal when capturing a photo for the competition. If we suspect this might have happened, and cannot satisfactorily resolve this with the owner of the photograph, the image will be disqualified.
6. We reserve the right not to accept entries where the judges have concerns that taking the photograph may have caused undue disturbance. For the avoidance of doubt it would be helpful for entrants to describe their approach where photographs concern juvenile animals, mothers and offspring, or seals at haul-out sites.
7. Entries from professional photographers (those whose main income is their photography) are not eligible to enter. Entries are not restricted to those living within the UK; however, the mammals must be photographed within the British Isles.
8. By entering your image, you agree to grant the Mammal Society the non-exclusive right to publish, feature, reproduce and use it for any purpose at any time in any of its publications, websites and associated media outlets including adverts, cards, press releases, social media, our Mammal News magazine etc in existence now or later invented. The photo will be credited with the photographer’s name wherever possible; however, the Mammal Society reserves the right to use uncredited photos in small images such as those used in social media.
9. Each image can only be entered once, must have been created no earlier than 01.10.2017 and must be your own original work. You must be the sole author and owner of the copyright of all images entered. The Promoter does not accept any liability for the publication of unlawfully reproduced images.
10. Computer-generated or computer-altered images will not be accepted, including black and white images. Digital alteration of exposure, sharpness and frame (cropping) is permitted, but other forms of digital enhancement — which could not be achieved through alterations of settings on a manual camera — are not allowed. Artwork and illustrations will not be accepted. Works that have been submitted into other competitions will be accepted.
11. Prizes are as stated; no alternative can be offered. Reasonable efforts will be made to contact winners. Prizes unclaimed within a reasonable time frame will be reallocated. The judges’ decision is final. The competition may be modified or withdrawn at any time.
12. In the event of a prize being withdrawn, an alternative prize of equal value will be offered.

*for the purposes of this competition small mammals are defined as the smallest and most elusive species, namely: mice, voles, shrews, stoats and weasels.

**for the purposes of this competition captivity is defined as wildlife centres, rescue centres, wildlife parks etc.