North West Wetland Photographer competition winners announced
The winners are in for the North West Wetland Photographer of the Year competition! Thank you to everyone who entered the competition, we have had some amazing submissions. Here are the winners:
Wetlands and their Wildlife
Winner: Maggie Bullock with this photo of a flight of whooper swans over the Mere
Wetlands of the World
Winner: Rob Deubler with this photo of a great egret.
Junior
Winner: Liam O Donnell with this photo of fighting godwits at Swords Estuary
Smartphone
Winner: Kat Noble with this photo of Bewick’s swans.
Shortlisted entries
We had over 50 shortlisted entries across each of the four categories! Everyone who has been shortlisted was contacted via Instagram or email and can come and see their entries on display in our exhibition hall.
Meet our judges
Thank you to our judges for taking a look through the shortlisted entries and choosing the winners! Here’s an overview of each judge:
Visit Lancashire: Wetlands and their Wildlife
Visit Lancashire is the tourist board for Lancashire, promoting the county’s many attractions to regional, national and international visitors. As a largely rural county, Lancashire has many wonderful things to see and do in the great outdoors, not least the discovery and appreciation of Lancashire’s varied wildlife.
With over 350 recorded bird species, native mammals, and millions of creepy crawlies, Lancashire’s wilder side offers up great days out and fantastic photography opportunities throughout the seasons. Visit Lancashire is honoured to judge this category, as these photographs show just how special Lancashire is to so many people. To find out more, go to VisitLancashire.com.
Alan Hewitt: Wetlands of the World
Alan is a freelance wildlife photographer, filmmaker, writer, podcaster and photography safari leader. When he’s not in sub-saharan Africa, he's based in Northumberland where the Farne Islands and coastline provide a contrast to the African savannah!
His appreciation and fascination of wildlife leads him to document and share the natural world we live in. Alan is particularly interested in trying to photograph wildlife in a way that tells a natural history story. From his favourite local patch, The Farne Islands to the birds and mammals of Sub-Saharan Africa, he is always amazed by our wildlife and natural history.
Throughout 2020, 2021 and 2022, Alan was an official X-Photographer for FUJIFILM UK and continues to represent them at events throughout the UK. He is also an ambassador for Formatt-Hitech which manufacturer high-quality camera filters.
Alan leads photography safaris for African Photography Safaris and Penda Photo Tours.
www.alanhewittphotography.co.uk
Heather Beckett: Junior
Heather Beckett has been a professional photographer for 30 years. She started as a professional dog show photographer, and then became a full-time wedding and portrait photographer. She has had three studios and currently a shop/studio in Horwich and teaches photography to all ages and abilities. She's passionate about how it can help people overcome certain mental health problems. Heather teaches at Martin Mere on a regular basis and loves to see people blossom into photographers and gain confidence.
Lucy Lapwing: Smartphone
Lucy Hodson, better known as Lucy Lapwing, is a naturalist, conservationist and influencer. Lucy is a nature lover and has been involved in the BAFTA-winning ‘Springwatch’, and is an ambassador for WWT and RSPB.
Lucy runs a popular Instagram account lucy_lapwing where you can keep up with all of her nature adventures.
