The photograph, ‘Sleeping with Dandelions’, was taken by Lewis Newman in London and won in the Animal Portraits category. It shows a fox with its eyes closed and face in profile, standing against a backdrop of green and fluffy dandelions.
‘After spending a lot of time with this particular vixen, she began to learn I was not a threat,’ said Newman. ‘I got to know her routine, and as the wildflowers began to grow, I would find her curled up among them. As the dandelions began to open there were a couple of days when she would wake up covered in them.
‘Although she got used to my presence, if I were to move too fast or drop anything she would immediately leave. Later on in spring, I was blessed with her bringing her cubs to me and have watched them grow ever since.’
It’s just one of the many brilliant winners of this award, which aims to capture Britain’s natural world in all its brilliant diversity. More than 13,000 images were submitted for the 2023 contest, which had a grand prize of £5,000.
From a mesmerising shot of a jellyfish to a comical toad scene, here’s a selection of other highlights from this year’s competition.
