Photography Competition captures the Wild Heart of the Fens
We’re delighted to announce the winners of the NLOW Photography Competition 2025, a celebration of the beauty, complexity, and quiet drama of the Fenland landscape and its wildlife.
First place goes to a stunning image of a Brown Argus butterfly by Laura Burgess, called:
“A little beauty feasting in the sun.”
Taken in Haddenham, the photograph beautifully showcases this often-overlooked species, which thrives in open, sunny habitats rich with wildflowers. Its presence here is a testament to the improved conditions for pollinators across the Fens, thanks to ongoing wildflower meadow creation and habitat restoration.
Runner-up is a striking photo of a Chinese Water Deer gracefully crossing a footpath through a patch of oxeye daisies at Ouse Fen Reserve. The image is not only visually captivating but also thought-provoking — highlighting the delicate balance between encouraging flourishing wildflower meadows and managing grazing pressure from deer. It’s a visual reflection of the complex, sometimes competing priorities in conservation.
Deer in the oxeye daisies by Ian Stacey
Third place is awarded to John Parish for his serene image of a corner pond funded through the NLOW Project. The photo captures the quiet beauty and ecological importance of these small but vital water bodies, perfectly summing up the essence of what the project has aimed to achieve.
A selection of our other favourite entries:
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- Roger James – Common Blue Damselflies preparing to mate
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- David Bradley – Cranes
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- Nicky Cope – Great Crested Grebe with young
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- Gary Dean – Short Eared Owl
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- Gary Dean – Bearded Reedling
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- Gary Dean – Bittern in Flight Woodwalton Fen NNR
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- Jasmine McIntosh – Fen Drainage River
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- Donna O’Driscoll – Just being
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- Finley Gerrard Croxon – Glow of Beauty
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- John Parish – Green Veined White Butterfly
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- John Parish – Kestrels
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- Nicky Cope – Red Kite
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- Edyta Rice – Bee
