About the competition
This year's Mammal Photographer of the Year received 300 entries, and head judge Brett Lewis was extremely impressed with the quality of the photos submitted.
“The standard of the competition entries seems to increase with each passing year and the variety of species captured by the UK’s photographers is very pleasing to see,” he says. “Many of the images represent the animals in their environment with some facing very harsh conditions, which the photographers have also endured to capture some great photos.”
The winning image was taken by amateur photographer Roger Cox from East London of a local fox.
“This animal often foraged for the wild cherries that fell from the trees and landed in the wells between the bonnets and windscreens of parked cars,” he says. “It was also used to getting food from people who threw food out of their car windows at night during the early hours. I took this picture…when it jumped up on my car to investigate if there was anything of interest for it, as I'd seen it do several times before.”
The runner-up prize was awarded to Kate MacRae for her rolling mountain hare image.
“[The hare] ran across the deep snow in front of me, paused and, as I took a shot, it rolled!” she says. “They often use the snow in this way, to clean the coat and help keep it in tip-top condition; essential in these harsh conditions!”
2020 saw the introduction of a new category, Elusive Mammal, to highlight images depicting mammals that aren't often spotted or that may not have been photographed very successfully in the past.
This category was won by Dan Lettice with his image of a breaching common dolphin taken off the coast of West Cork Ireland.
“I've seen common dolphins in pods of anywhere from a handful up to 100's of animals,” he says. “The joy of a leaping common dolphin is something to behold. They always find time to interact with the boat.”
To view the images as a slideshow, click on the arrows in the top right hand corner of the photos below.
