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International insect photography competition winners announced. A celebration of the most diverse group of animals on Earth.

The winners of the prestigious National Insect Week Photography Competition were announced today by the Royal Entomological Society.

Winning images: http://www.nationalinsectweek.co.uk/photography-competition-winners

Full gallery: http://www.nationalinsectweek.co.uk/photography

The winning photographer in the adult category was Croatian nature blogger and amateur photographer Petar Sabol for his image Libellula depressa, the scientific name for the broad-bodied chaser dragonfly. The large dragonfly is perched in a straight beam of warming sunlight which reveals the exquisite architecture of this aerial predator. Second place went to Ben Andrew from the UK for his image The Climb which captures a stag beetle scaling a tree trunk. A shortlist including another 24 stunning insect photographs were commended by the panel of judges.

The winning photographer in the junior category was Kelsey Knell aged 13 for a vibrant image of a bumblebee covered in pollen and feeding on a sunflower, aptly named Pollination. A shortlist of 17 commended images by young photographers were selected by the judges, featuring insects from the UK and around the world

Dr Luke Tilley, Deputy Chief Executive, Royal Entomological Society says ‘So many of the images received did great service to this diverse and vitally important group of animals. Taking a winning photograph of an insect can be very difficult, it requires tact and an ability to see things on a different scale. As a collection, the winning National Insect Week images celebrate the fascinating lives of insects, sometimes strange and gruesome, often beautiful and fragile.’

The competition was opened by the Earl of Selborne in July last year at the beginning of National Insect Week 2016, although part of this national campaign in the UK hundreds of  photographs from 38 countries were entered. First and second place in both categories win cash prizes from the Royal Entomological Society. All of the winning images can be found on the National Insect Week website.

Media contact

For a wider selection of images or to arrange interviews with photographers or spokespeople, please contact Luke Tilley.

Email: [email protected]
NIW Media Centre: http://www.nationalinsectweek.co.uk/media-centre

Notes to editors

• National Insect Week is a biennual event organised by the Royal Entomological Society to encourage people of all ages to learn more about insects and entomology, the study of insects. It is supported by a large number of partner organisations across the UK with interests in the science, natural history and conservation of insects.

  Over 500 events took place nationwide in 2016 alongside competitions and online activities. The next photography competition opens to entries on 18th June 2018. Find out more at www.nationalinsectweek.co.uk. Follow National Insect Week on Twitter @insectweek or on Facebook /nationalinsectweek

• The Royal Entomological Society is one of the oldest entomological societies in the world. Many eminent scientists of the past, including Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace, have been fellows. The Society organises regular meetings for insect scientists, as well as hosting international symposia and events for the public. It publishes journals and books as well as identification guides. It has fellows and members all over the world. The aim of the Society is “the improvement and diffusion of entomological science”. www.royensoc.co.uk for more details.