Teenage photographers’ smartphone nature stories go nationwide

The Wildscreen Youth Nature Photo Competition 2025 has unveiled its winner and finalists, whose stunning smartphone photography will take centre stage on digital billboards across the UK this summer. The campaign, supported by JCDecaux UK Community Channel, showcases how connecting with nature through creative expression can boost young people’s wellbeing and inspire a lifelong connection to the natural world.   

Celebrating Young Voices for Nature   

We invited young people from across the UK to explore nature through their smartphone cameras, capturing anything from majestic mammals in vast landscapes, the intricate details of tiny insects in their small worlds, to the bustle of an urban environment. What stood out across all the submissions was a clear sense of curiosity and care for the natural world. Many entrants expressed a change in perspective about certain animals or the environment.  

One entrant shared how participating changed their feelings on the natural world:   

“I challenged myself to take a picture of an insect since I’ve always been terrified of bugs. Observing the bees in my garden at such a close-up scale has allowed me to gain insight into their lives, and to view them as simply busy creatures, rather than scary monsters. I am now one step further towards getting over my fear of bugs” 

The competition’s primary focus in 2025 has been on the positive impact of moments spent connecting with nature and creative expression. In the 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.  

The overall winner of this year’s competition is: 

Leah aged 13, with their photograph of hazel sawfly larvae ‘Sawfly Snack Attack’