Photo competition winners announced

The winners for the Wealden District Council Nature Photo Competition have been announced earlier this month.

The competition was an opportunity for residents to show their perspective of nature and raise awareness of the beauty of the landscape that surrounds the district.

The winning, runner up and highly commended photos have been chosen by a judging panel at Wealden District Council made up of Councillor Paul Coleshill and officers from the Climate Change, and Communications and Policy teams. The council had an amazing number which showcased the diversity of nature and landscapes within Wealden and more widely across East Sussex.

Due to the number of high-quality entries, the judging panel decided to highly commend an additional picture in each of the three categories alongside the winners and runners up.

Councillor Paul Coleshill, Alliance for Wealden (Liberal Democrat) and lead councillor for Climate Change, said, “We would like to thank everyone who took part in the competition and congratulate the winners. The photos are amazing, and it’s been lovely to see such beautiful areas - from hidden gems to iconic places known across the area. With so many high-quality submissions, choosing the winners was a tough decision. All entrants should be proud of their photos, and I hope people will be hanging them in their homes.”

The competition winners are below.

Young Persons Nature and Wildlife - Age 4-11 Category:

Winner – Arthur Bannister, age 11

Runner Up – Louis Harrison, age 8,

Highly Commended – Felix Rohan, age 6

Young Persons Nature and Wildlife - Age 12-17 Category:
Winner - Eva Godden, age 12

Runner Up - Maggie Claire Watson, age 13

Highly Commended - Jacob Thomson, age 13

Adult Changing Seasons of Wealden Category

Winner - Chris Mole

Runner Up - Ian Brierly

Highly Commended - Peter Westhead

The winners receive an annual membership to Sussex Wildlife Trust and a professionally framed copy of their photograph. These photos have been framed by David Brown at Special Occasions a specialist framers based in Hailsham.

All images of the winners, runners up and highly commended can be seen on the website below. https://letstalk.wealden.gov.uk/nature-photo-competition