Winners of Mammal Photographer and Illustrator of the Year 2025 Reveal ‘Extraordinary Perspectives’ on British Mammals
Photo credit: Paul Alistair Collins
A seal’s flipper, an eye-to eye view of a shrew, and an intimate portrait of a fox have come first, second, and third place in Mammal Photographer of the Year 2025. In addition, an art piece of a harvest mouse against a full moon won first place in our first ever Mammal Illustrator of the Year competition, alongside runners up depicting a spiral of detailed mammal tracks and an evocative charcoal artwork of a fox. The winners won prizes from generous sponsors, including NHBS, Naturetrek, Wildcare, the British Wildlife Centre, and Bromley’s Art Supplies.
The theme of the competitions, ‘British Mammals: Extraordinary Perspectives’, invited unusual or surprising depictions of our elusive and charismatic wild mammals. To follow the competitions, from April 21st to 27th, National Mammal Week returns, dedicated to raising awareness and promoting the conservation of British mammals. This year, we're exploring the theme Where the Wild Things Should Be, highlighting how much wilder our nature-depleted landscapes should be—and how everyone can play a role in restoring them.
The winning photograph, ‘Study of a Seal’s Flipper’, by Paul Alistair Collins, was taken in Norfolk. “Every winter, I return to the windswept beaches of Norfolk… to witness the UK's largest colony of grey seals. No two days are ever the same – each sunrise, each shifting tide, and each moment of seal activity offers new creative possibilities. As the first light of dawn came in from the side, I noticed this seal lazily kick sand over itself, revealing a rich play of texture and light,” said Paul.
Photo credit: Jason Hornblow
Jason Hornblow’s second-place winning photograph, ‘Common Shrew’, gives the viewer a new eye-to-eye perspective of one of our smallest and most underrepresented mammals, the shrew, captured as it pauses for a moment on a frozen puddle.
Photo credit: Bethan Milner
Bethan Milner’s third-place winning photograph, ‘A Moment’s Rest’, offers a glimpse of an intimate, up-close moment with a fox.
Artwork credit: Jade Taylor
Meanwhile, Jade Taylor’s winning art piece, ‘The Harvest Moon’, sought to highlight Britain’s smallest rodent, the harvest mouse. “Late September marks the beginning of the end of the main breeding season for Britain’s smallest rodent and the Harvest Moon marks the change to Autumn… harvest mice do not hibernate, but they do sleep more through the colder months ahead in their ball-shaped nest. When they venture out, they are avid climbers, making full use of their amazing prehensile tail, [and] being mainly nocturnal, they do so by the light of the Harvest Moon,” said Jade.
Artwork credit: David Wege
David Wege’s second-place art piece, ‘The Path of All Beings’, was made as a reminder that all beings are connected and on the same path, as well as that reading animal tracks is a part of the human condition.
Artwork credit: Emma Carpendale
Emma Carpendale’s third-place piece, ‘The Spirit Fox’, reflected the beauty and dignity Emma saw in her subject, the fox.
Photo credit: Katrina Vidaseva
The Young Mammal Photographer of the Year 2025 award was won by Katrina Vidaseva (16), for her photograph ‘Fire-Breathing Stag’, which she had envisioned for a long time, wanting to capture the breath of a roaring stag illuminated by golden light.
Photo credit: Paul Meek
Public voting was opened up for both photography and art pieces; whilst David Wege’s illustration ‘The Path of All Beings’ was also selected as ‘People’s Choice’ for Mammal Illustrator of the Year, Paul Meek’s photograph ‘Commando Stag’ was selected as ‘People’s Choice’ for Mammal Photographer of the Year. Various other photographs and art pieces were also awarded a ‘Highly Commended’ award.
Lastly, portfolio awards were given to Susanna Ramsey, for her series of macro photographs of mammal bones, and Naomi Joy Fox, for her rich artworks featuring a variety of British mammals.
“A huge thank you to everyone who entered, as well as our judges Karen Miller, Dani Connor, Emerson Mayes, Rachel Brooks, Tim Flach, Roxy Furman, and Yuval Zommer for helping us decide on the winning pieces,” said Alana Scott from The Mammal Society. “The selection of images we receive really goes to show how many unique perspectives there are of Britain’s natural world, thanks to people’s connections with our wild British mammals. I hope that these perspectives and connections can help us build a better future for our mammals, starting with our campaign to highlight the landscapes from which we have lost them, and how we can bring them back, during National Mammal Week 2025.
Editor’s Notes
Mammal Photographer of the Year is a competition run annually by the Mammal Society to celebrate the wild mammals of the British Isles.
This year was the first year the Mammal Society launched Mammal Illustrator of the Year, an art competition running parallel to Mammal Photographer of the Year, to explore artists’ perspectives of the wild mammals of the British Isles.
When using photographs or artworks, please ensure the photographer or artist is credited at all times. The names of the photographers and artists can be found in the file names of the photographs and artworks.
For access to the files of the photographs or illustrations, or further information or interviews, contact Alana Scott at media@themammalsociety.org
About the Mammal Society
Established in 1954, the Mammal Society is Britain’s leading charity devoted to the science-led conservation of mammals. They work to raise awareness of the issues mammals face, sharing scientific research so that populations can be protected and restored across the British Isles and Ireland. Ensuring a bright future for British mammals, the Mammal Society inspire conservation projects, empower stakeholders through training and resources, and raise public awareness through education and campaigns.
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Commended and Portfolio Pieces:
