“Dance of the Gnats” by Toby Houlton | 1st Place, Scottish Wildlife Behaviour Category & Scottish Nature Photographer of the Year 2025
“I have been an avid wildlife photographer for around 20 years and, due to my love of nature and the outdoors, moved to Scotland with my wife in 2017. I strive to show the diversity and beauty of wildlife close to home, especially when images of a common or overlooked subject can help the viewer appreciate them in ways not previously seen or considered. I enjoy all aspects of wildlife photography, whether that be lying amongst the weed on a shoreline to photograph shorebirds or searching for tiny macro subjects amongst foliage; I just love to see what nature reveals. My winning image was taken at Little Garve in Ross-shire. I had been walking back beside the river in the late afternoon, and there, in patches of dappled sun, the gnats were ‘dancing.’ A moment of inspiration made me realise that taking an image with a slow shutter speed would create the amazing light trails, and the hint of the darker woodland behind would provide the sense of place. The speed of these tiny dancers meant that multiple wingbeats were captured in the exposure, creating the patterns.”
The Scottish Nature Photography Awards (SNPA) just revealed the winners of its 2025 competition, showcasing a striking collection of images that celebrate Scotland’s natural beauty. The winning photos span 10 primary categories, including Environmental, Natural Abstract, Scottish Botanical, and Scottish Wildlife Portrait, among others.
The overall winner and Scottish Nature Photographer of the Year 2025 is Toby Houlton from Invergordon, a small Scottish port town. He also won the Scottish Wildlife Behaviour category with Dance of the Gnats, a long-exposure image of the tiny flying insects seemingly “dancing” mid-air.
“My winning image was taken at Little Garve in Ross-shire,” reveals Houlton. “I had been walking back beside the river in the late afternoon, and there, in patches of dappled sun, the gnats were ‘dancing.’ A moment of inspiration made me realize that taking an image with a slow shutter speed would create the amazing light trails, and the hint of the darker woodland behind would provide the sense of place. The speed of these tiny dancers meant that multiple wingbeats were captured in the exposure, creating the patterns.”
Judge Niall Irvine said of Houlton’s photo, “It takes the viewer a little time to work out what they are looking at in this image, but it is so rewarding! The highlighted patterns created by the movement of the gnats, captured by the creative use of photographic technique, and the subtle woodland textures in the background give the image of these tiny creatures drama and impact.”
The contest also gives young photographers the chance to enter its Student and Junior categories. Fourteen-year-old Kiran Simpson from Dunfermline was named Junior Scottish Nature Photographer of the Year 2025 for the second year running. His striking macro photograph of a garden spider, titled The Leaf Eater, captures the incredible details of the tiny creature, such as the tiny hairs on its legs.
“Right outside my kitchen door, under the glow of the outdoor light, I spotted this garden spider on its web, with a leaf caught in the silk beside it,” Simpson shares. “Against the darkness of the night, the patterns on its body and its spiny legs stood out in incredible detail. I ran inside to grab my camera, knowing it might be gone by the time I got back. What I love most about this photo is that it was taken literally steps from my back door. It just goes to show that you don’t need to travel far to find incredible wildlife; it’s all around us if you just stop and look.”
Other winners include Rob Henderson who won the title of Student Scottish Nature Photographer of the Year 2025. His In the Time Between portfolio explores the temporal relationship between white water lilies and Scottish pines within the landscape at Loch Garten. “I was interested in capturing the contrast between the brief, seasonal presence of the lilies and the endurance of the pines through the yearly cycles,” he says. “As both a geographer and photographer, I am drawn to the way landscapes can express change and time.”
Alongside its photography prizes, SNPA also honors moving image work with the Scottish Nature Video Award. In 2025, the award went to James Appleton for his powerful film capturing the Stac Pallaidh wildfire.
All three top-ranking videos—including the winner, runner-up, and third place—are available to watch on the SNPA website. Meanwhile, check out the photography category winners below.
The Scottish Nature Photography Awards just revealed the winners of its 2025 competition, showcasing a striking collection of images that celebrate Scotland’s natural beauty.
“Velvet Shanks” by Ken Crossan | 1st Place, Scottish Botanical Category
“I am delighted to have received the Scottish Botanical category award. The image of the Velvet Shanks, its orange caps brightening up dark winter days, was captured in a policy woodland on Thrumster Estate in Caithness. Growing in clusters on decaying and dead broadleaved trees, particularly elm, this group was found on a dead horse chestnut tree which was felled a few weeks later. As the Caithness landscape is recognized especially for its coast and its blanket bog, the Flow Country, a landscape with few native trees, it is rewarding to highlight a less well-documented aspect of the environment.”
“Edinburgh in Bloom” by Jamie McDermaid | 1st Place, Scottish Landscape – Urban Greenspace Category
“I was absolutely delighted to find out that I’d won the Scottish Landscape – Urban Greenspace category and pleasantly surprised too. I’ve followed and admired the competition for a while now and even had a few wildlife images shortlisted, but I never expected to win any category—let alone a landscape one! This image was taken on a sunny evening spent looking for butterflies in Holyrood Park. I remember being disappointed by the lack of butterflies, but this lovely view of Edinburgh in bloom more than made up for it.”
“First Openings” by Rob Henderson | Student Scottish Nature Photographer of the Year 2025
“I am incredibly honored to have my portfolio awarded 1st place in the Student category, and I am very grateful to have my work recognized in this way. Photography formed a core component of my dissertation to complete vegetation analysis and wider coursework. In the Time Between explores the temporal relationship between white water lilies and Scots pines within the landscape, with each image placing a different emphasis between the two. I was interested in capturing the contrast between the brief, seasonal presence of the lilies and the endurance of the pines through the yearly cycles. As both a geographer and photographer, I am drawn to the way landscapes can express change and time. These images were captured over a couple of days, during which I camped by the lochside and woke early to get the best conditions. This was my first visit to the location for photography, and it has encouraged me to continue returning to photograph the loch as part of a wider portfolio across the seasons. I am very grateful to the judges for selecting this portfolio as the winner, and to everyone involved in organizing the competition.”
“The Last Day of Ice” by Grant Bulloch | 1st Place, Natural Abstract Category
“I feel very privileged and thankful to win the Natural Abstract category of this year’s Scottish Nature Photography Awards and to also come runner-up is a great honor, especially when you consider how many fantastic photographs are entered each year. I’ve always felt a strong connection to this competition—it was the first one I ever entered, and I’ve had at least one image shortlisted every year since 2016, so to finally win a category is very pleasing indeed, and I shall continue to support it and encourage others to enter. My image was taken after several days of very cold weather, and all the lochs and rivers on Rannoch Moor were frozen. Finally, a thaw was forecast, and I managed to visit and photograph the conditions before it all melted. The ice had already started to crack, and the water seeping through created interesting patterns as it melted and refroze overnight.”
“Teeth of Winter” by Orrin Bryers | 1st Place, Scottish Landscape – The Land Category
“I am absolutely thrilled to have won The Land category of this year’s competition. I’m in slight disbelief that my picture was chosen with so many established photographers in the mix whose work I admire highly! The photo was made whilst ascending the Munro Ciste Dhubh in Glen Shiel with my wife. It was a great slog through thigh-deep snow in places but a stunning day for it. I noticed this icicle arrangement on our way up and thought it had great character—reminiscent of the Monster Book of Monsters in Harry Potter! This picture encapsulates part of the magic of landscape photography in winter for me—interesting but very temporary compositions can reveal themselves when you least expect it!”
“Hermit Crab Portrait” by Malcolm Nimmo | 1st Place, Scottish Wildlife Portrait Category
“I have been diving since the 1980s, and Scotland’s sea lochs have long been a passion and place of pilgrimage for me. I return regularly drawn by their incredible biodiversity. The image was taken in Loch Carron, home to a range of beautiful marine habitats. These include kelp forests and brittle star beds as well as extensive flame shell beds. Due to its ecological richness, importance and fragile nature, Loch Carron was designated a Marine Protection Area (MPA) in 2017. The image is of a common hermit crab (Pagurus bernhardus) peering out with its striking eyes from within a dead man’s finger soft coral (Alcyonium digitatum). The ghostly white polyps of the soft coral provide a beautiful contrast to the vivid orange colouration of the crab. I am absolutely delighted that the image is a category winner, particularly in a competition that showcases the wonderful beauty of the Scottish natural environment. I hope the image provides a glimpse of the amazing marine life present in Scottish waters.”
“Where Winter Lands” by Adele Warner-Tate | 1st Place, Scottish Landscape – Sea and Coast Category
“Winter in the Outer Hebrides is my favorite time of year. It’s always a joy to head out in all types of weather conditions and experience the wild side of the island. This particular day, heavy snow showers had been forecast, so we decided to head to Harris. It was an incredible moment standing on the beach looking out towards this huge incoming winter sky. It was almost calm and quiet whilst at the same time dramatic and wild. Photographing storms and weather across the island is something I really enjoy; we got drenched and blasted with snow and hail, but it was worth every second. I’m so proud to have been awarded first place in the Sea & Coast category and feel honored to share the beauty of the island we have the privilege to call home. A huge thank you to the Scottish Nature Photography Awards.”
“The Necropsy” by James Appleton | 1st Place, Environmental Category
“This image was taken in March of 2025 on Raasay, just off the Isle of Skye. After being spotted swimming freely numerous times in the area, an adult sperm whale sadly stranded itself in severe distress—having become entangled in fishing gear—and died shortly after. I travelled down the next day to document the resulting necropsy—a hugely important piece of scientific work that is able to identify not only the causes of death but also, more significantly, the welfare implications—the extent of suffering and speed at which the whale’s condition deteriorated. The process of taking samples from such a huge animal is exceptional—both hugely physically and emotionally draining for the team of professionals from SMASS—the Scottish Marine Animal Stranding Scheme. Their vital work is helping guide changes that will help prevent circumstances like this from happening again. With my photographs of the event, I wanted to capture not only the tragedy of the loss of life of such an incredible animal but also the emotional impact that this has on those working to address this problem and, in doing so, draw focus onto the vital work being done by the team at SMASS. I am delighted that, in winning this category, this particular photograph can do just that.”
“The Leaf Eater” by Kiran Simpson (age 14) | Junior Scottish Nature Photographer of the Year 2025
“Right outside my kitchen door, under the glow of the outdoor light, I spotted this garden spider on its web, with a leaf caught in the silk beside it. Against the darkness of the night, the patterns on its body and its spiny legs stood out in incredible detail. I ran inside to grab my camera, knowing it might be gone by the time I got back. What I love most about this photo is that it was taken literally steps from my back door. It just goes to show that you don’t need to travel far to find incredible wildlife; it’s all around us if you just stop and look. Being recognized at this level really means a lot.”
“Stac Pollaidh Wildfire” by James Appleton | Scottish Nature Video Award 2025
“This was the result of a powerful two days documenting the human-made wildfire that consumed the slopes of Stac Pollaidh early in spring 2025. The resulting landscape, totally blackened, nevertheless has already begun to rebound with life. It has been assumed that a campfire, left without being correctly extinguished, was responsible.”
