National Insect Week returns in 2020

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Photography competition closed to entries

The National Insect Week 2018 Photography Competition winners have now been announced. The extraordinary winning photographs can be viewed below by clicking on the digital galleries.

Congratulations to all the winners!

You can also view the winning entries from previous years on this page.

The 2020 competition will open to entries on 22nd June 2020.

2018 Competition winners (Under 18 category)

1^st Prize - Zach Haynes

Mayfly on an unfurled fern frond

2^nd Prize – Shannon Cansfield

Reflecting

Specially Commended – Alex Perry

Lang’s Short-tailed Blue (Leptotes pirithous)

Specially Commended - Rebecca Hyde

Dragonfly Impossible

Specially Commended – Zach Haynes

Hoverfly honing in

Specially Commended – Gavin Pandya

Golden Beprestid on Iris

2018 Competition winners (Adult category)

1st Prize – Petar Sabol

Orange tip butterfly and mayfly sharing

2nd Prize – Wen-Chi Yeh

Potter wasp, Oreumenes decoratus, returning to her nest

Specially Commended – Wexiang Lee

Planthopper nymph with the 'fibre optic' tail

Specially Commended – Andrew Geen

Wonder of the day (Dichonia aprilina)

Specially Commended – Ivan-Marios Mezitis

Metamorphosis

Specially Commended – Martin Tampier

Kite (Amblycorypha oblongifolia)

Specially Commended – Beverley Brouwer

Bejewelled Fly

Specially Commended – Petar Sabol

Mayfly resting just before sunrise

Specially Commended – Simon Carder

Water reflections through greenery. Broad Bodied Chaser (Libellula depressa)

Specially Commended – Zoltan Gyori

Bedtime

Commended – Michael Bird

Two for the price of one

Commended – Narayan Patel

Caterpillars on silk

Commended – Juergen Specker

Sunfly on Helenium

Commended – Martin Taylor

Treehopper on vine

Commended – Andrew Neal

Damselfly symmetry

Commended – Denise Bishop

Painted Lady

Commended – Deepak Kumbhar

Just one world

Commended – Simon Carder

Six-spot burnet and knapweed at dawn

Commended – William Richardson

A walk in the rain

Commended – David Holland

Under siege

Commended – Katarzyna Bukowska

Black-veined Whites

Commended – Zoltan Gyori

The vice

Commended – Faith Melencio

One love

Commended – Iain Cowe

Autumns Herald

Winning Photographs 2016 (Adult Category)

Libellula depressa, First Prize

The Climb, Second Prize

Looking at you looking at me, Specially commended

Backlight, Specially Commended

Hangin' Tough - Broom Weevil, Specially Commended

Damsels on parade, Specially Commended

Jump!, Specially Commended

The long and winding road, Specially Commended

The last fight. Tiger beetle and weaver ant, Specially Commended

Life in green, Commended

Troops on the move, Commended

Predation, Commended

Mantis, Commended

Flag-footed Bug, Commended

An aggregation of two: Ammophila wasps at dawn, Commended

Common green shieldbug eggs hatching, Commended

Autumnal Feathered Thorn moth, Commended

Covered in dew drops (sawfly), Commended

Marsh Fritillaries, Commended

Robber Fly, Commended

Solitary Bee - Megachile willughbiella, Commended

Red Tipped Flower Beetles, Commended

Resting Stalk-eyed Fly, Commended

Metamorphosis - a dragonfly emerging, Commended

Beauty and Beast, Commended

Floating on colour, a male gall midge, Commended

Winning Photographs 2016 (Under 18 Category)

Pollination, First Prize

Shhh... do not disturb, Second Prize

The view on a bridge, Commended

Brown Clipper butterfly, Specially Commended

Shades of green, Commended

Privet Hawkmoth caterpillar, Specially Commended

Azure Damselfly on an ear of wheat, Commended

Because I have no teeth, Specially Commended

Green Hairstreak, Commended

Mormon Butterfly, Commended

Red hemipteran, Commended

Green dragonfly, Commended

Stupendous Staveley Sunfly, Specially Commended

The Bug Life, Specially Commended

Flying and feeding bee-fly, Specially Commended

Orange-tip butterfly, Commended

Mint moth, Commended

Winning Photographs 2014

Warming up, the light giver, Commended in 2014 NIW Photography Competition Small is Beautiful category

Blend in to survive, Commended in 2014 NIW Photography Competition Small is Beautiful category

Warming up, Commended in 2014 NIW Photography Competition Small is Beautiful category

My annoying housemate, Commended in 2014 NIW Photography Competition Small is Beautiful category

Grasshopper nymphs, Commended in 2014 NIW Photography Competition Small is Beautiful category

Tachinid fly, Commended in 2014 NIW Photography Competition Small is Beautiful category

A snout of distinction, Commended in 2014 NIW Photography Competition Small is Beautiful category

Mayfly, Commended in 2014 NIW Photography Competition Small is Beautiful category

Zerynthia polyxena wing, Commended in 2014 NIW Photography Competition Small is Beautiful category

Migrant hawker, Commended in 2014 NIW Photography Competition Small is Beautiful category

Longhorn beetle (close-up), Commended in 2014 NIW Photography Competition Small is Beautiful category

Acorn weevil (Curculio glandium) on a stem of grass, Commended in 2014 NIW Photography Competition Small is Beautiful category

‘Jeff Goldblum lookalike’ (unidentified fly), Commended in 2014 NIW Photography Competition Small is Beautiful category

Soldier, Commended in 2014 NIW Photography Competition Small is Beautiful category

Banded demoiselle, male, Commended in 2014 NIW Photography Competition Small is Beautul category

Striking a pose, Specially Commended 2014 NIW Photography Competition Small is Beautiful category

Dromedarius, Specially Commended 2014 NIW Photography Competition Small is Beautiful category

Male feather-horned beetle, Specially Commended 2014 NIW Photography Competition Small is Beautiful category

Anax imperator eye, Second Prize 2014 NIW Photography Competition Small is Beautiful category

Wallace’s Cyriopalus beetle (Cyriopalus wallacei), First Prize 2014 NIW Photography Competition Small is Beautiful category

Alone in the dark, Commended 2014 NIW Photography Competition Insects Alive category

Mate, Commended 2014 NIW Photography Competition Insects Alive category

A katydid completes its moult, Commended 2014 NIW Photography Competition Insects Alive category

Even educated weevils do it! Commended 2014 NIW Photography Competition Insects Alive category

Parental care, Commended 2014 NIW Photography Competition Insects Alive category

Resting time, Commended 2014 NIW Photography Competition Insects Alive category

Large rose sawfly laying eggs, Commended 2014 NIW Photography Competition Insects Alive

Sleeping Nomada, Commended 2014 NIW Photography Competition Insect Alive category

Lunchtime, Commended 2014 NIW Photography Competition Insects Alive category

Male blue tiger butterfly with tiger moth caterpillar on Crotalaria pods, Commended 2014 NIW Photography Competition Insects Alive category

Coupled blue-tailed damselflies, Commended 2014 NIW Photography Competition Insects Alive category

Five-spot burnet (Zygaena trifolii) feeding on buttercup, Commended 2014 Photography Competition Insects Alive category

I see you, I have eyes in the back of my head, Commended 2014 NIW Photography Competition Insects Alive category

The Alamo! Commended 2014 NIW Photography Competition Insects Alive category

New coat, Commended 2014 NIW Photography Competition Insects Alive category

Family planning, Commended 2014 NIW Photography Competition Insects Alive category

Marbled whites mating, Commended 2014 NIW Photography Competition Insects Alive category

Orthetrum cancellatum dragonflies mating, Commended 2014 NIW Photography Competition Insects Alive category

Honeymoon on flower, Commended 2014 NIW Photography Competition Insects Alive category

Reed beetle preening, Commended 2014 NIW Photography Competition Insects Alive category

Cuckoo wasp laying an egg, Commended 2014 NIW Photography Competition Insects Alive category

Small white feeding, Commended 2014 NIW Photography Competition Insects Alive category

Small paper wasp building nest, Commended 2014 NIW Photography Competition Insects Alive category

Well captured, Commended 2014 NIW Photography Competition Insects Alive category

My annoying housemate, Commended in the 2014 NIW Photography Competition Small is Beautiful category

Multi-tasking, Commended 2014 NIW Photography Competition Insects Alive category

Life in the lilypads, Specially Commended 2014 NIW Photography Competition Insects Alive

Ready! Specially Commended 2014 NIW Photography Competition Insects Alive category

Manganese drill bit, Specially Commended 2014 NIW Photography Competition Insects Alive category

Fire and brimstone! Specially Commended 2014 NIW Photography Competition Insects Alive

Sawflies eating a birch leaf, Second Prize 2014 NIW Photography Competition Insects Alive category

Damselflies mating, First Prize 2014 NIW Photography Competition Insects Alive category

Close up of damselfly eyes in Genemuiden, Netherlands. Commended 2014 NIW Photography Competition Small is Beautiful category

Four-spotted chaser dragonfly sparring with broad-bodied chaser dragonfly, Winsor, New Forest UK, Commended 2014 NIW Photography Competition Insects Alive category

Winning Photographs 2012

Winning Photographs 2010

Winning Photographs 2008

Winning Photographs 2006

Tips for insect photography

1. Take your time

Try not to rush your photographs. There is a huge diversity of insects that can be photographed and each species has its own behaviour to take into account. For example, if you would like to photograph an adult dragonfly, take the time to observe the insect's hovering and perching spots. This considered approach will help to improve the quality of your photographs and you may learn something new about the insect too.

Broad-bodied chaser dragonfly, Libellula depressa — © Dale Sutton

Broad-bodied chaser dragonfly, *Libellula depressa*, Highly Commended 2006 NIW Photography Competition British insect category

2. Experiment

Try experimenting with different camera angles, magnifications and directions of light. Photographs with the habitat in view can be just as astounding as close-ups. Try shooting with different lenses if you have them, wide angle and telephoto can provide very different results using the same insect subject.

Queen common wasp, Vespula vulgaris, resting on grape hyacinth after waking — © David Maitland

Queen common wasp, *Vespula germanica*, resting on grape hyacinth after waking, Highly Commended 2006 NIW Photography Competition British insect category

3. Consider the lighting

Photographing small insects can be a great opportunity to play with lighting. Try and make the lighting look as natural as possible by combining some flash with the natural light available. Harsh lighting does not always make for a good image and photographs of insects can look really dramatic at dusk and dawn too. Insects often have iridescent body parts and transparent wings, a simple adjustment of lighting can really show off the subject to its best.

© Danny Beath

Adult mayfly at sunset, First Prize 2010 NIW Photography Competition riverfly category

4. Choose the right insect

If you spend a longer amount of time on a single individual or species this will force you to think about new ways to shoot the insect and to consider the composition and lighting options available. You may begin to notice the traits of your subject that most interest you, for example, the wings, the eyes, the way it is grasping a surface or even how it walks or flies. At least to begin with, try and choose a bold species that doesn't mind a flash and lens very close to it. For example, a timid fly might not be ideal but a bold and busy bee may not notice a photographer pursuing it from flower to flower.

Bombus on buddleia — © Ian Beddison

*Bombus* on buddleia, Commended 2008 NIW Photography Competition adult category

5. Get close

Try photographing a small portion of an insect. For example, the scales on a butterflies wings, the jaws of a ground beetle or the eyes of a damselfly. Find the hidden beauty in the insect and try and show the future viewers of your photograph what cannot be seen with the naked eye.

6. Don't try and control the insect

The most interesting photographs are rarely those that have been taken of an insect enclosed in a dish, or worse still, chilled in a fridge to make them placid. Try to challenge youself to get interesting images of insects in a natural environment, exhibiting their natural behaviours in their usual habitat.

7. Know your kit

Though many good photographs can be taken using conventional lenses, consider a macro lens. Macro lenses are designed to give the photographer great results up-close. They are expensive but can focus on insects from about 6cm away to infinity which makes macro lenses good for general shooting too. There are some less expensive alternatives to a macro. For example, a close-up filter which screws onto the front of another lens, much like a filter. You may also wish to consider an extension tube which sits between the camera body and lens and makes detailed close-ups possible.

8. Use a tripod and flash

A well place tripod can prevent shaky photographs. If you have been patient and observed your subject for some time then setting up a shot from a tripod won't be as restrictive as you might think. Using a flash is often the best way to light small subjects, such as insects.

9. Consider your focal point

The point of focus is very important when shooting small subjects like insects. You can dramatically alter the appearance of your final image by changing where you chose to focus. Even shifting the focus by a few millimetres can make or break a photograph.

10. Enjoy the process

Try and take in the environment and the behaviour of your chosen insect. Becoming better acquainted with your subject will often mean that the best photographic opportunities present themselves. You will learn about your own methods as well as learning about the insect itself.

Ask an expert

Do you have an insect to identify? Contact our entomologists for help.

Ask an expert

Visit an event

There will be fun events and activities taking place somewhere near you during National Insect Week. At events you can meet insect enthusiasts and experts, and encounter lots of interesting and important insect species.

Find events near you

What is National Insect Week?

National Insect Week encourages people of all ages to learn more about insects.

Every two years, the Royal Entomological Society organises the week, supported by a large number of partner organisations with interests in the science, natural history and conservation of insects.