Nottinghamshire teenager wins prize in RSPCA youth photo competition
Nottingham native Abi O’Brien, 13, was honored with an award at this year’s RSPCA Young Photographer Awards.
Abi’s image, titled ‘Moonlight Silhouettes’, was recognized in the ’12-15 Mobile Phones & Devices’ category of the charity’s prestigious annual photography competition, having been selected from more than 4,000 entries this year.
Each year, the RSPCA Young Photographer Awards invites young people under the age of 18 to capture the animal kingdom with a camera or mobile device.
Abi said: “I am so happy that the jury liked my photo so much.
“Skye and I are both very observant.
“We both noticed the beautiful iridescent moon shielded by the car window screen.
“Skye is very fidgety and has a hard time sitting still, especially in situations like this where we’re both waiting for my brother to finish football practice, the car was standing still but our minds weren’t.
“We were itchy. This situation was so simple, so ordinary, that we had to make it extraordinary.”
This year’s awards were judged online by a panel of wildlife photography experts including wildlife photographer, TV presenter and RSPCA Vice President Chris Packham; wildlife photographer Rachel Bigsby (a new judge this year), former contest winner and now professional photographer Catriona Parfitt; professional wildlife photographer and photo guide Ellie Rothnie; and RSPCA photographers Andrew Forsyth and Emma Jacobs.
Awards and Awards presenter Chris Packham said: “This year’s competition was difficult to judge as we received so many excellent photos.
“We saw a fantastic range of animals at this year’s competition. Each year I am amazed by the level and skill of the photos submitted. This year’s entries were great – great work everyone!
“The RSPCA Young Photographer Awards is a true celebration of animals and nature and I look forward to attending each year. I hope that all participants can continue their love for animals and photography and be proud of their achievements.”
This year there were ten categories; Under 12 (taken on a camera), 12-15 (taken on a camera), 16-18 (taken on a camera), under 12 (taken on a cellphone/device), 12-15 (taken on a cellphone). /device), 16-18 years (taken with cellphone/device), Pet Personalities, Pet Portraits, Small World and Portfolio.
The winning images in the ten categories were announced during an awards ceremony hosted by Chris Packham at the Tower of London on Thursday 15 December 2022.
