The British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums (BIAZA) has announced the fourteen winners and runners-up of its annual photography awards, celebrating the work of British and Irish photographers. The competition, which received over eight hundred entries, evaluates submissions based on content, composition, and image quality, aiming to highlight the wonders of zoos, aquariums, and the natural world across the regions.

This year's competition featured several categories, including Mammals, Birds, Fish, Reptiles and Amphibians, Native Species (to the UK and Ireland), and Invertebrates. A new category, Humans, was introduced to recognize individuals on the front lines of animal conservation.

Thomas Harris's photograph of an elephant from Colchester Zoo, titled 'Still I Rise', secured first place in the Mammal category.

In the Birds category, Gareth Clifford's striking image of an electric blue Vulturine from Norfolk Wildlife Reserve took the top prize. Clifford also won the new Human category for his photograph 'Early Rounds', also taken at Norfolk Wildlife Reserve. A striking snap of an electric blue Vulturine from Norfolk Wildlife Reserve won the Birds category for Gareth Clifford

David Lynch's close-up shot, 'Mid-nap breather', from the National Marine Aquarium in Plymouth, earned first place in the Reptile category. David Lynch's up-close shot, 'Mid-nap breather', from the National Marine Aquarium in Plymouth secured him first place in the Reptile category

Peter Baird's 'Forest Lantern', a glowing image, won first place in the Native Species category. Jess Reddy's contrasting blue and orange photograph, 'Eye of the Lion', took gold in the Fish category. Placing first in the Native Species category was Peter Baird's glowing picture, 'Forest Lantern'

Ellie Richard's photograph of a speckled crab from Bournemouth's Oceanarium secured first place in the Invertebrate category. The Invertebrate runner-up was awarded to Jennifer-Louise Read for a photograph taken at Chester Zoo. Ellie Richard's snap of a speckled crab in Bournemouth's Oceanarium secured her first place in the Invertebrate category

Runners-up included Fred Wall's photograph of a gorilla, titled 'Our Endangered Brothers', taken at Twycross Zoo. Jonathan Isaacs captured a yellow bird building its nest at Marwell Wildlife Conservation, earning him a runner-up spot in the Birds category. Jagz Bharth's photograph of a lizard, 'The Singing Skink', was the Reptile runner-up, taken at Hertfordshire Zoo. Rebekah Weatherhead's snap of a blenny fish, 'Tompot's Pot', was the Fish runner-up.

Celyn Stephens's image of a stag, 'The Watcher', earned runner-up in the Native Species category. Jo Brown's mystical shot taken at Whipsnade Zoo received the runner-up spot in the Human category. Celyn Stephens's aptly-named 'The Watcher' - a striking shot of a stag - earned runner-up in the Native Species category

The winning photographs are set to be featured in BIAZA's 2027 calendar, which will also highlight significant dates for nature enthusiasts, including David Attenborough's birthday.

Dr. Jo Judge, CEO of BIAZA, stated that the selected photography demonstrates the wonder of wildlife and the critical conservation work undertaken by member zoos and aquariums. "We believe these talented wildlife photographers have the power to inspire environmental change by revealing the wonder of the natural world," she said.