The results of the seventh round of our prestigious International Amateur Photographer of the Year 2025 competition are in! Sara Williams wins the top place in the Animal Kingdom category with the photograph ‘Horses of Rhossili Bay’, of a joyful image of two horses. Meanwhile, Charlie Gil, came first place in the Young APOY competition. Here are the top 10 images uploaded to Photocrowd from Round Seven, Animal Kingdom, with comments by the AP team and our guest judge…
Entries into the Animal Kingdom round never fail to impress. The sheer variety, imagination, skill and technique on display from the entrants – not to mention the tenacity – is a joy to judge. But it makes it extremely difficult, too, as it’s also an extremely subjective genre, and one judge’s winning image could easily end up being another’s commended. Some might like a close-up, with pin-sharp detail revealing secrets about an animal’s fur or a bird’s feathers, while another will be drawn to a wider view that places the creature in context – almost combining landscape and wildlife in one frame. It’s a round that always gets the judges talking – and we hope you enjoy our top ten choices.
International Amateur Photographer of the Year 2025, Animal Kingdom winner
Horses of Rhossili Bay by Sara Williams, UK, 100pts
Sony RX10 IV, 24-600mm equiv at 115mm, 1/1000sec at f/4.5, ISO 100
A joyfully dynamic winning image from Sara, who has done a great job of capturing the rolling horse at just the right moment, with all four feathered legs in the air. The apparent disdain of its companion is highly amusing, and the contrast between the two couldn’t be more stark. She has made the most of the gorgeous light and clouds, and also given enough context to tell us something about the landscape in which the horses live. This is the sort of subject that could become a wonderful long-term project.
2. Got your tail by Isobel Davis, 90pts
Nikon Z9, 70-200mm at 200mm, 1/1000sec at f/2.8, ISO 1000
Guest judge Ellie Rothnie says: ‘My eyes were immediately drawn to this image of the fox biting another’s tail. What a super example of fox behaviour! It shows the playful nature of one of the UK’s most iconic, often misunderstood mammals. Compositionally, the image works very well, with focus being drawn to the playful fox. For me, it doesn’t matter that the owner of the tail is leaving the scene, as we all know what animal it is. I liked this quirky approach to the composition. The photographer has chosen to be at ground level, which gives an intimate point of view – we really do feel that we are in the world of these foxes, and this allows us to connect with them. The background is beautifully diffuse, which draws our eyes to the foxes instead of distractions in the background. I just love this image, congratulations!’
3. The sentinel by Mats Carduner, France, 80pts
Leica Q2, 28mm, 1/800sec at f/6.3, ISO 100
A breathtaking composition. While the wildlife subject may be minuscule, the image gives the viewer a huge amount of information about the harshness of the environment in which the bird exists. It was taken in Greenland, and it’s almost impossible not to treat it as a commentary on climate change. Birds such as this gull are losing their habitats to global heating, so while the photograph is full of drama, and the composition is extremely well executed, its aesthetically pleasing qualities cannot be separated from the current environmental crisis. The simple question we must ask ourselves is whether it will be possible to take photographs such as this in the future.
4. Majestic by Steve Jackson, UK, 70pts
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Steve has given us a superb portrait of this lion, with its magnificent head and mane almost entirely filling the frame. We need no other context for this creature, and the judges liked the fact that it could have been shot on safari in Africa or in a safari park in Britain, demonstrating how it’s possible for excellent images to be taken anywhere. The catchlight in the big cat’s eyes is beautiful, and brings (even more) life to its features. And, of course, the confidence to convert the image to black & white rather than leaving it in its original state is to be commended. It’s the ideal way to bring out the depth and texture in the lion’s fur.
5. Tail ends by Linda Wride, UK, 60pts
Nikon D300, 16mm, 1/1000sec at f/4.5, ISO 1000
Another characterful horse image, but it couldn’t be more different from the first-placed shot. The gorgeous range of tones, the swishing tails, the gleaming coats, all set against a smooth background – it’s a clever, well-seen and bold composition that stands out for all the right reasons. It takes animal photography into the fine-art realm, which is not easy to achieve.
6. Humpback whales by Ed Hasler, UK, 50pts
DJI Mavic 3, 24mm, 1/320sec at f/4, ISO 160
A drone is the perfect device for capturing the majesty of a whale and – most likely – her calf in Greenland. Ed’s timing is excellent, capturing the moment she blows, and his control of the drone is great, too, allowing him to compose to show both sea and ice in a well-balanced frame.
7. Not impressed… by Helen Trust, UK, 45pts
Canon EOS 5D Mark IV, 150-600mm at 600mm, 1/1000sec at f/8, ISO 1600
Helen has made superb use of the long end of her zoom lens, placing the mountain hare – unusually – in the corner of the frame, and in doing so she has captured its character and somewhat bemused expression. The surrounding grasses are thrown out of focus beautifully, so as not to be a distraction, and the hare’s eyes are pin-sharp and glowing in the soft light. This would make a great front cover, with lots of space for the masthead and cover lines.
8. Gentoo’s story of survival by Bircan Harper, UK, 40pts
Nikon Z9, 300mm, 1/50sec at f/18, ISO 900
Bircan travelled to Antarctica to capture this astonishing image of a gentoo penguin with its back to a snowstorm. It looks completely resigned to sitting out the storm, and Bircan’s use of a slightly slower shutter speed has resulted in a shot that fully conveys the drama of the weather conditions. Some might have been tempted to go in closer, but her composition tells the whole story. Wonderful.
9. Curiosity by Shawn Thomas, USA, 35pts
Nikon Z9, 600mm, 1/3200sec at f/4, 600mm, ISO 2200
What a magical image, one that would have been a test of Shawn’s responses, as the golden dragonfly only flitted into shot for a moment or two. He has captured the intrigued ducklings beautifully – you can almost see them learning about the world around them. Lying down at water level is why this image is so successful, as any higher up and all the connection between ducklings and insect would have been lost. Shooting in the evening light is ideal, too, as harsher light would have spoiled the serenity of the scene.
10. Woodland fox by Ewen MacRury, UK, 30pts
NIKON Z6 II, 28-75mm at 75mm, 1/200sec at f/2.8, ISO 200
Ewen was privileged to get pretty close to this impressive fox, requiring only a 75mm lens to capture her serene expression and graceful pose. The soft, filtered light is perfect for making the most of not only the fox’s bright, alert eyes and orange fur, but also the colours of the woodland. Getting down to a low level enhances the fox’s dignified pose as she looks into the distance.
International Young Amateur Photographer of the Year 2025, Animal Kingdom winner
Feeding frenzy by Charlie Gil, Spain, 100pts
GoPro HERO12 Black, 15mm-equiv, 1/1000sec at f/2.5, ISO 100
A stunning shot from Charlie, which was taken in Komodo, Indonesia, as scraps are fed to the whale sharks. The ultra-wide focal length captures the sheer energy and dynamism of the moment, which must have been pretty intimidating to witness and photograph. We look forward to seeing more from Charlie.
Camera Club competition
Each round, we shine a spotlight on a selection of excellent entries from the many camera clubs that enter APOY
Long-eared owl at dusk by Erika Howard, Hampstead Photographic Society
Canon EOS R6, 100-500mm at 343mm, 1/2000sec at f/6.7, ISO 8000
This is not an owl to be messed with, and Erika, who is currently second in the leaderboard, has timed her shot to perfection. An excellent behavioural image.
Safe by Karen Akers, Royston Photographic Society
Nikon D610, 28-300mm at 300mm, 1/2000sec at f/5.6, ISO 800
A gorgeously gentle animal portrait, showing the delicacy with which the penguin is protecting its egg. The separation between the bird’s beak and its claw is a tiny detail, but crucial to the success of the image. Nicely done.
Dog by Luz Mery Suarez, Visions Photography Club
Panasonic TZ100, 250mm-equiv, 1/1600sec at f/5.9, ISO 125
Much of the success of this image is down to what’s not being shown – we can only imagine what it might be that has caught this dog’s attention. Fun and very nicely composed.
Highland cow on Dartmoor by Geoff Trevarthen, Launceston Camera Club
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The low perspective here means that the magnificent Highland cow stands out beautifully against the background.
Serenity by Mark Waller, Kempsey Camera Club
Leica SL2-S, 24-90mm at 37mm, 1/60sec at f/7.1, ISO 800
Just a pelican and its reflection – nothing more is needed from this wonderfully minimalist image. Gorgeous.
The 2025 leaderboards after round seven, Animal Kingdom
Bircan Harper is making a fantastic showing in this year’s competition, and currently tops the leaderboard thanks to her atmospheric eighth-placed gentoo penguin picture. In second and third are the familiar names of Erika Howard and Azim Khan Ronnie. Will one of these three take home the top prize after round ten, or will it be someone else in what is in fact a fairly congested leaderboard? Similarly, the top three in Young APOY are slugging it out, and we can’t wait to see what these photographers come up with over the next three rounds. Keep watching this space each month!
Winning kit from Camera Centre UK
What gear did our top ten photographers use?
In first place, Sara Williams used a Sony RX10 IV. This premium all-in-one bridge camera features a 20MP sensor and massive 24-600mm-equivalent focal range. When reviewed in AP, its fast, accurate autofocus and continuous-shooting capabilities were described as ‘remarkable’ and the camera overall as ‘the best of this type yet’, with it being awarded five stars. This camera can be purchased at Camera Centre UK for £1,599.
The outstanding Nikon Z9 was used for this round’s second, eighth and ninth-placed images. In its five-star review in AP it was said to ‘set new standards for full-frame mirrorless cameras’, thanks to its extraordinary continuous-shooting ability, excellent image quality in JPEG and raw, ground-
breaking AI subject-detection autofocus, robust build and pro-level handling, and superb viewfinder and screen. Find a refurbished version of this camera at Camera Centre UK for £2,975.
Taking seventh place, Helen Trust used a Sigma 150-600mm F5-6.3 C Contemporary DG OS HSM for her mountain hare shot. With its versatile zoom range, it features a dust- and splash-resistant mount, as well as a special water- and oil-repellent coating on the front element. It is constructed with 20 elements in 14 groups, including 3 SLD elements and 1 FLD element. This excellent lens can be found at Camera Centre UK for £849.
To see the full range, visit www.cameracentreuk.com
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