Wildscreen, a conversation charity connecting creatives within the wildlife, film, television and photography industry, has unveiled its winner and finalists of the Youth Nature Photo Competition 2025, whose smartphone photography will take centre stage on digital billboards across the UK this summer. The campaign, supported by JCDecaux Community Channel, showcases how connecting with nature through creative expression can boost young people’s wellbeing and inspire a connection to the natural world.
The competition invited young people from across the UK to explore nature through their smartphone cameras. This year’s campaign marks a new milestone for the competition, with the winning images displayed on JCDecaux UK’s national network of digital screens, thanks to support from the JCDecaux Community Channel, bringing the powerful stories of young photographers to millions of people across the country.
The winner of this year’s competition, 'Sawfly Snack Attack', taken by Leah, aged 13.
The 2025 competition focused on on the positive impact of moments spent connecting with nature and creative expression. In an impact survey of this year’s entrants, 94% said they now notice more details in nature and 88% said noticing nature improves their mood or wellbeing, demonstrating the importance of time spent creatively engaging with the natural world.
All photos were taken on smartphones by teenagers aged 13 to 18 across the UK. The campaign highlights how photography can help young people engage with local nature in a creative and personal way, without needing specialist equipment, and encourages people of all ages to stop, look, and reconnect with nature in their own surroundings.
In no particular order, the five runners-up are:
- Sophie, aged 13 - photograph of a mayfly called ‘Spectacular Beauty’
- Mathilda, aged 16 - photograph of an Exmoor pony called ‘Exmoor Sentinel’
- Aaliyah, aged 14 - with their photograph of a mallard duckling called ‘New To The World’
- Mair, aged 17 - photograph of painted lady butterflies called ‘Beauty of the Painted Lady’
- Yuato, aged 13 - photograph of a bee called ‘Honey Trooper’
The campaign is running on digital screens across the UK throughout August 2025.
