Sussex Wildlife Trust announces winner of 2022 photo competition

The judges, headed up by professional international wildlife photographer David Plummer, selected 12 finalists from more than 600 entries. The public then voted for their favourite.

The winner of the vote was Brian Watkins from Haywards Heath and his photo Banded Demoiselle Silhouette.

Brian said: “The photo was a lucky chance encounter - I had been out one evening photographing a wild Barn Owl. Once the sun had started to set, I began to make my way back to the car, when I noticed the Banded Demoiselle roosting on a piece of grass. I'd always wanted a nice shot of one of these, so quickly changed to a macro lens and just had enough time to frame the Demoiselle using the setting sun before it disappeared below the horizon. I decided to try the silhouette as it was too dark for a standard shot and I'm so pleased it worked.”

Judges said: ‘Perfect silhouette composition allowing us to identify the damselfly, a Banded Demoiselle'.

Anthony Thomsett from Henfield was voted the runner-up with Mouse Hunt.

Brian won first prize of £100 and Anthony won a t-shirt from Sussex Wildlife Trust's online clothing store.

All 12 finalists’ photographs will feature in Sussex Wildlife Trust’s 2023 online calendar, available to download in December. The photos will also feature on social media and the Trust’s members’ magazine. All 12 images will also be displayed at the Trust's AGM and at the Booth Museum in Brighton next year.

To view all 12 entries click here

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