A striking image of a family of great crested grebes taken by a young Sutton photographer won first prize in a prestigious national competition.

Thomas Meynell topped the 16-18 years category of the RSPCA Young Photographer Awards 2019, judged by a panel of experts in wildlife photography, including TV presenters Patrick Aryee and Chris Packham and award-winning photographers Andrew Forsyth and Jules Cox.

His photograph, titled Sunrise Grebe Family, was singled out from more than 6,500 entries.

Youngsters aged up to 18 had been invited to capture the animal kingdom on camera or on a mobile device.

Thomas said: “I’m so happy that the judges liked my photo.

“It shows the grebe family in all their beauty as their reflections bounce off the water. It was taken at my local pond during sunrise.

“The early morning sunlight gives the subjects a warm hit of yellow and a much more vibrant look.
It was a huge bonus to capture the young grebes at such an early stage of their lives, whilst in the water.

“For most of the time at this age they are tucked away on their mother’s back, while their buoyant down feathers are still growing.

“Furthermore, the positioning of the two adult grebes makes for a unique composition but also shows the incredibly close bonds between two adults whilst bringing up their young.”

Also on the panel of judges were sponsors of the awards, Philip Warner, managing director of printing business Warners Midlands plc; award-winning photographer Ellie Rothnie, from Nature’s Images; along with former RSPCA Young Photographer Awards overall winner Catriona Parfitt.

Fellow judge Chris Packham said: “I’ve been judging the RSPCA Young Photographer Awards since they started. It’s exciting to see it move with the times, particularly with new options this year such as the Instagram category.

“We’re also pleased that the Mobile Phone and Devices category continues, because as no separate camera is required, this has really opened up the competition to almost anyone.”

Reflecting on the strength of the competition this year, he added: “Every year, I’m excited to see all the winning images printed and framed.

“They always present such a powerful and bold portfolio of work photographically and serve as a fantastic means of getting people to engage with animals and think about some of the issues which affect them.

“It’s nice to see so many creative photos of people’s pets and a range of wildlife in such a strong competition.

“It needs real imagination to make commonplace species interesting, and demonstrates that the photographer has been really innovative.

“The fantastic images we have seen this year range from pets at play to animals just getting on with their life in the wild.

“The competition is a great way for young people to go out and experience the environment around them.

“There are some beautiful pictures in this year’s winners’ gallery, with real talent shining through. This year’s entrants have been really creative and that is what we wanted to see.”