All the Fascinating Winners of the Scottish Nature Photography Awards

The Scottish Nature Photography Awards introduced the winners of its 2025 competitors, celebrating the perfect and most stunning nature, wildlife, and panorama images captured in Scotland.

Scottish Nature Photographer of the Year 2025

This yr’s Scottish Nature Photographer of the Year is Toby Houlton from Invergordon, a small Scottish port city.

Houlton took high honors for his picture, “Dance of the Giants,” a charming lengthy publicity picture of “dancing” gnats taken within the late afternoon. Houlton’s picture additionally received the Wildlife Behavior class.

“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,’” Houlton explains. “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.”

Competition decide Niall Irvine provides: “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.”

Junior Scottish Nature Photographer of the Year

For the second straight yr, younger Scottish photographer Kiran Simpson was named Scottish Junior Nature Photographer of the Year. The now-14-year-old photographer from Dunfermline received the title for his spider picture, “The Leaf Eater.”

“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,” says the up-and-coming shutterbug.

“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.”

Judge Michael Prince referred to as it a “striking macro photo.”

“It was wonderful to see such a technically challenging photographic technique used so effectively to reveal the usually unnoticed life of a spider,” Prince says.

Student Scottish Nature Photographer of the Year

University pupil Rob Henderson received the title of Student Scottish Photographer of the Year 2025 for his portfolio, “In the Time Between.” Henderson, who research MA Geography on the University of Glasgow, has closely used images in his dissertation and coursework.

“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,” Henderson says.

Category Winners

Alongside the first awards above, photographers within the Scottish Nature Photography Awards additionally competed throughout eight major classes and two particular classes for kids and college students. There can be a Scottish Nature Video Award, which James Appleton received for a strong video exhibiting the Stac Pallaidh Wildfire. Appleton’s profitable video, alongside the second- and third-place movies, will be watched on the Scottish Nature Photography Awards website. The picture class winners, alongside runners up and third-place finishers, are featured beneath.

Environmental

Natural Abstract

Scottish Botanical

Scottish Landscape — The Land

Scottish Landscape — Sea and Coast

Scottish Landscape — Urban Greenspace

Scottish Wildlife Behavior

Scottish Wildlife Portrait

Junior Category

Kiran Simpson additionally earned second place within the Junior Category for the wonderful chook picture beneath.

Student Category

Alona Perliarska, a Fine Art pupil from UHI Orkney, earned second place within the Student Category. Photography pupil Paula Adam from West College Scotland rounded out the class.

More From the Scottish Nature Photography Awards

The profitable images from the 2025 Scottish Nature Photography Awards shall be included in a portfolio yearbook and featured as a part of a touring exhibition tour. All the profitable and shortlisted photographers will be seen on the competition’s website.

Image credit: Scottish Nature Photography Awards. All photographers are credited within the captions.