Falmouth student wins national photography award

A Cornwall university student has won a national photography award.

Jacob J Watson-Howland's picture Streetlit Snowdrop came out on top in the British Wildlife Photography Awards' (BWPA) Botanical Britain category.

The 20-year-old, from Canterbury, studies Marine and Natural History Photography student at Falmouth University.

His photo was ranked in the top 0.1% of 13,000 pictures entered into the annual photography competition, all competing for a prize of £3,500, organisers said.

Entries were split into 10 different categories in the adult competition: animal behaviour, animal portraits, botanical Britain, black and white, British seasons, coast and marine, habitat, hidden britain, urban wildlife, and wild woods.

The winning image shows a snowdrop flower illuminated only by a streetlight, which Mr Watson-Howland said demonstrated the flower's resilience and adaptability to Britain's changing climate.

He said of his entry: "This botanical wonder is one of Britain's earliest blooms, signalling the changing seasons.

"Its modest elegance inspired me to capture its beauty against an urban backdrop."

Receiving the award, he added: "Flowers aren't usually my subject of choice, so for it to be named the best botanical photo of 2025 in Britain is beyond exciting."

The photograph will be exhibited alongside other competition winners at locations across the UK this year.

Follow BBC Cornwall on X, Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected].