Winners announced for capturing wildlife through a camera lens

● Images show a striking example of the natural beauty and variety of life

A striking image of young fish taking refuge among the stinging tentacles of a giant jellyfish has scooped the top prize in this year’s British Wildlife Photography Awards.

Photographs of seeds caught in a cobweb, close-ups of baby spiders and tadpoles, a black and white image of a bird flying past a skyscraper lost in fog and a series which follow a weasel through the season were among the winning shots.

George Stoyle, from Muston, North Yorkshire, won the overall prize of £5,000 for his image of a huge lion’s mane jellyfish and its “hitchhikers” shot in the sea off Scotland during a project to assess the biology of major sea caves off remote UK islands.

He said: “At the end of one of the dives I was swimming back to the boat when I came faceto-face with the largest jellyfish I’ve ever encountered.

“As I approached, cautiously, I noticed that a number of juvenile fish had taken refuge inside the stinging tentacles.”

David Nussbaum, chief executive of WWF-UK which sponsored the coast and marine category in the awards, which Mr Stoyle also won with his photograph, said the competition celebrated the “diversity, splendour and drama” of UK wildlife.

“This year’s winning image is a striking example of the natural beauty and variety of life we have within and around our shores, as well as the skill and artistry of our photographers.

“The photo exquisitely captures the voluptuous frills and folds, and kaleidoscope 0 Clockwise from above: Winning image Hitchhikers, Lion’s mane jellyfish by George Stoyle; Under 12 winner, Cygnet with Swan, by Seren Waite, 10; 12-18 years winner Kung Fu puffins, by Rebecca Bunce, 18 colours of this giant jellyfish. But it’s the jelly’s piscean ‘stowaways’ that make this picture, a shoal of shimmering, glistening juvenile fish finding safe harbour amongst the tangle of tentacles,” he said.

Pictures were judged in 15 categories, including an urban wildlife section won by an image of a starling on a supermarket trolley and a documentary series which recorded efforts to track rare harvest mice.

In the junior categories,