Veolia Environnement Wildlife Photographer of the Year Competition

Photographers from all over the world ascended on the Natural History Museum in London last night for the Veolia Environnement Wildlife Photographer of the Year Competition 2011 award ceremony.

Daniel Beltrá from Spain was crowned the overall winner for Still life in oil, a striking image of eight brown pelicans rescued from an oil spill, from his six-image portfolio for the Wildlife Photojournalist of the Year Award.

Mateusz Piesiak from Poland was awarded the title of Veolia Environnement Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2011 for his image Pester power, in the 11–14 Years category.

The assassin by Steve Mills from Whitby, North Yorkshire, was named winner in the Behaviour:
Birds category and Robert Cave from Nottingham was named joint runner-up in the Creative Visions of Nature category for his image Curious whale.

Three other British photographers were also awarded prizes:

• Jamie Unwin, was runner-up in the Young Photographer of the year 15–17 Years category for Frozen in flight
• Thomas Hanahoe was specially commended for Knot lift-off in the Behaviour: Birds category
• David Maitland was specially commended for Fading beauty in the In Praise of Plants and Fungi category

The competition's exhibition debuts at the Natural History Museum on 21 October 2011 before embarking on a tour of the UK and abroad.

The Veolia Environnement Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition is owned by the Natural History Museum and BBC Wildlife Magazine and is sponsored by Veolia Environnement.

Photographers can enter next year’s competition from 5 December 2011. For further details
about the competition, visit the Wild Photo website.