Photographers across Essex have been taking photos of the county’s wildlife and wild places in the annual photography competition, which received over 1,000 entries. 

After deliberation from a panel of judges, the six category winners were chosen. Since December, the public has been voting for their favourite to be crowned the overall winner. The competition received a record-breaking number of public votes.

The Trust is pleased to announce that Matthew Thomas’ ‘I See You’, from the category Gardener’s World, has won the competition. The photo celebrates the beauty of arachnids and the importance of looking at the world of wildlife up-close in our gardens.

Talking of capturing the winning image, Matthew Thomas says:

“I’ve always been into wildlife and thankfully macro photography is more accessible on a lower budget and of course there is so much to see literally in your garden or local park. Macro photography allows you to delve into a world to see each invertebrate’s role within a habitat. 'I See You' was a lucky shot, most of the time I'll see something amazing, and it will fly off before I can take a photo, but that is the nature of trying to shoot live subjects.” 

Jamie Watt, Marketing Manager for Essex Wildlife Trust, says: 

“Thank you to everyone that participated in our competition. We are always astounded by the standard of the photographs we receive and Matthew Thomas’s ‘I See You’ shot is a well-deserved winner, with the impressive detail and beautiful colours. We are pleased that the popularity of our competition continues to grow each year, reflecting the continuing importance of wildlife and nature in people’s lives. We are lucky to live amongst such fantastic species and are proud they can be showcased through our local photographers of all ages and abilities.” 

Essex Wildlife Trust’s 2024 Photography Competition will open for entries in September. 

Karen Howard, Centre Manager at High Chelmer Shopping Centre, said:  

“High Chelmer is delighted to continue its longstanding partnership with the Essex Wildlife Trust by offering space in the Centre to host Essex Wildlife Trust’s Photography Competition winners.

Caring for our local wildlife is so important.  We hope that the showcase of this year’s winners will raise awareness amongst our shoppers to appreciate the wonderful wildlife in our local surroundings and also engage with wildlife and inspire them to be at one with nature.”   We very much look forward to seeing the wonderful images captured on camera.” 

This spring, High Chelmer Shopping Centre in Chelmsford will be displaying the winning images for members of the public to come and enjoy. 

The Essex Wildlife Trust Photography Competition 2023 was sponsored by High Chelmer Shopping Centre.