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Sit back and marvel at the winning pictures in our third wildlife photography contest

They’ve crawled through snow on their stomachs, hidden for hours in the Highland heather, dangled perilously from parapets – all to get the shot of their dreams. Yes, it’s that time of year again when we announce the winners of our fabulous wildlife photography contest while they tell us the stories behind their remarkable images.

Last summer we invited all amateur photographers once again to send in your pictures of creatures in their natural British habitat and you responded in your thousands. We were inundated with stunning images – from the sublime to the hilarious. We had kingfishers on the wing and amorous snails, a three-headed deer (sort of!) and the captivating study of two young stoats on today’s cover that’s been crowned our overall winner. We even had a robin reading Weekend magazine!

Head Judge David Suchet was blown away by the standard. ‘The oldest person on our shortlist was 80, the youngest a 12-year-old schoolgirl,’ he says. ‘What united them was their keen eye, their technical expertise and their sheer enjoyment of capturing a unique wildlife moment.’ The competition is split into five categories – 1. Mammals; 2. Birds; 3. Insects; and 4. Fish, Reptiles, Amphibians and Molluscs, plus a special fifth category for Juniors under 18. The five category winners each receive a state- of- the- art Nikon D5500 digital camera, lenses, a memory card and a year’s subscription to Nikon Owner magazine, a total package worth £1,000. The overall winner also wins a four-day trip to Slovakia, courtesy of Tatra Photography, with wildlife photographer Simon Stafford for a masterclass in photographing brown bears in the wild.

Now enjoy the stunning pictures over the next seven glorious pages...

Back row, from left: Liz, David Suchet, Gray and Clive. Front row, from left: David Lindo, Anita and Simon