Young Ambassador Lockdown Nature Photo Competition 2021

February is a fantastic and exciting time of year for nature, as we start to say goodbye to the short winter days and look forward to a fresh beginning.

This perhaps means more in 2021 after a long winter trapped in our homes under a barrage of gloomy news of unprecedented times. As the daffodils and snowdrops poke through, birdsong fills the tree once again, amphibians clamber back into icy ponds and sunsets creep in later and later - bliss. Although we may not yet have a taste of full freedom, we can certainly find solace in our natural places. This is something which was very important to the Young Ambassador team as we thought about some fun activities to put into place for lockdown, as we know more than many just how great being in nature can be for your mental and physical health. As such, we decided to pose a challenge to young people everywhere who were locked down to get outside throughout February in search of a beautiful nature photo.

Keep an eye out for future Young Ambassador challenges and events to get involved with on our social media platforms

We opened the competition to 18 and under to encourage this age group to spend more time outside and look closer at the nature surrounding them. We were thrilled to receive 85 entries ranging from 5 years old to 18! The quality of the photos was so impressive, from birds of prey to snowflakes and flowers, capturing the most beautiful elements of nature which are sometimes missed. Following a meeting to discuss the shortlist and winning entries, we found our prize winners. 25 young people won a Cameron Bespolka Trust portable coffee cup, two runners up won £25 and the overall winner received £50. We are happy to showcase the winners below, and thank each and every entrant for their photos. Keep an eye out for future Young Ambassador challenges and events to get involved with on our social media platforms, and via the Cameron Bespolka newsletters

Runners up

Ethan Kirkcaldy	14	Ant's View
Kai Ablang	13	It's getting cold outside
Jenny Allan	14	A singing robin
James Pearson	14	Ghostly Glow
Nathan Benstead	15	Beauty in the Beast from the East
Esther Rumsey	14	Hidden Mossy Miracle
Mary Gregson	14	Burning off the mist
Arianna Siatos-Solves	5	Low Mossy Wall
Henry Keepin	15	Swooping Barn Owl
Amalie Craig	13	A Glimmer of Hope
David Papp	12	Tagging a Ride
Izzy Fry	15	Mute Swan
Margaret Fykes	10	Food Fight!
Bethany Wilson	14	Heather Sweetness
Georgie Wightman-Smith	13	Up close and personal
Joshua Dell	8	Starling Murmuration
Magnus Brodie Cooper	16	Tree Dweller
Jake Turner	14	Flora & Fauna
James MuCulloch	17	Snowy Seagull
Daniel Nikolov	14	Snowdrops Arise
Sreyaan Akkaraju	12	Kestrel
Nathaniel Hutchinson	13	Huddled Together
Poppy Emmens	15	First signs of hope
Wilum Johnston	18	Capture at last
Callum Marshall	16	Stomata in View