AN 18-YEAR-OLD has been awarded a prize in this year’s RSPCA Young Photographer Awards.
Hattie Pearce, from Solihull, submitted a photograph of her Labrador puppy entitled ‘’Nose Dive” showing her dog diving head first into the sand.
It was awarded in the ‘Pet Personalities’ category of the charity’s prestigious annual photography competition, after being singled out from more than 4,000 entries this year.
Every year, the RSPCA Young Photographer Awards invites youngsters aged 18 years and under to capture the animal kingdom on a camera or a mobile device.
Hattie said: “I’m so happy that the judges liked my photo so much.
“Nellie was nearly 5 months old and on a trip to the seaside.
“She was fascinated by the sand and the feel of it under her paws and enjoyed, as most puppies do, digging in it as it was soft and malleable.
“My aim was to capture the movement of the sand as it was kicked up in the air when she suddenly nose-dived through one of the holes she had dug and came up with sand all over her nose. I captured the moment just at the right time as she quickly stood up and sneezed!”
This year’s awards were judged online by a panel of experts in wildlife photography, including wildlife Chris Packham, Rachel Bigsby, Catriona Parfitt, Ellie Rothnie; Andrew Forsyth and Emma Jacobs.
Judge and awards host Chris Packham said: “This year’s contest was difficult to judge as we received so many superb photographs.
“We have seen a fantastic array of animals featured across this year’s competition. Every year I am impressed by the level and skill in the photographs that are submitted. This year’s entries were magnificent – top work everyone!
“The RSPCA Young Photographer Awards is a real celebration of animals and the natural world and I love taking part every year. I hope everyone who entered continues with their love of animals and photography and they should all be proud of their achievements.”
Visit https://young.rspca.org.uk/ypa/home to view all of the entries.
