Family adventures and a selfie at 5,000ft top the judges’ list
The Moors for the Future Partnership has been working since 2003 to protect the most degraded landscape in Europe. Using innovative conservation techniques it has transformed over 32 sq km of black degraded peat in the Peak District National Park and South Pennines. A monitoring programme provides evidence of the effectiveness of these techniques and is backed up by innovative communications that inspire people to care for these special places.
This year, the winning images showcase Britain’s upland landscapes – including mountains, moorlands and bogs – and feature people having some amazing adventures.
Judges Kate MacRae and Jack Perks chose the winners from a wide range of excellent entries, with photographers coming from 14 different countries around the globe.
Overall winner of the adult’s category was Jay Birmingham from Staffordshire, with his atmospheric image (above) of sunrise in the Peak District, starring his wife Mim. Jay said “My wife is just as thrilled as I am! I love all the other photos too – they show how wonderful our uplands are.”
Judge Kate MacRae said “This is such an atmospheric shot; you can almost feel the chill in the air. I love this image!”
Second prize in the adult’s category went to Lee Cooper from Derbyshire for his paragliding selfie.

By Lee Cooper


The image was taken at 5,000ft over Mam Tor during what turned out to be a turbulent flight. Lee said: “This photo is from an epic flight that epitomises what this sport means to me – a sense of living life and a rollercoaster of emotions. I spent over 45 minutes bimbling about with a big grin on m face, before flying like a startled rabbit frantically trying to find some stable air.”
Judges praised the ‘wow factor’ of the image.
Third prize in the adult’s category went to Geoff Shoults for his photo of the Cioch on Skye.

By Geoff Shoults


Judges were impressed by the incredible landscape and sense of scale captured in the photo. Geoff said he took the image on a day of “cloud inversions and really terrible midges!”
The young photographer of the year in the 15-and-under category was James Fleet.

By James Fleet


Judges praised the vibrant colour contrast in his image of a family camping trip to the Lake District. Judge Kate MacRae said “It’s a very challenging subject to photograph and get exposed correctly, and a wonderful image of an overnight adventure.”
The Community Science project that runs the competition is funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund.
Chris Dean, Moors for the Future Partnership Manager, was really impressed by the entries: “Moving people to protect our environment is essential. Powerful photographic images are one of the best tools we have to achieve this. The winners of the competition have moved all of us with their exciting images.”
First prize was a wildlife spotting telescope donated by Opticron, whilst second prize was a walking gear bundle from Adventuresqeuip outdoors shop. The winner of third place received a £50 voucher courtesy of Alpkit, whilst the young photographer of the year was presented with a bird box nest camera donated by Gardenature.
The winning and shortlisted images are available to view on the Community Science Flickr Page.
A touring exhibition of winning and shortlisted photos will be on display at various locations throughout 2018. Further information can be found on the Moors for the Future Partnership website.