16-year-old from Lancaster celebrates success at RSPCA Young Photographer Awards 2025
A Lancaster teenager has been recognised for her outstanding image in this year’s prestigious RSPCA Young Photographer Awards.
Winners were announced at a ceremony at the Tower of London with Polly Bradbury, 16, from Lancaster, commended in the Mobile Phones & Devices category.
Polly snapped a sweet picture of a hiding hedgehog nestled in a blanket at the wildlife rescue centre she volunteers at.
She said: “After putting some food in this hedgehog's cage, I noticed him creeping out from under his blanket. The blanket framed his head perfectly, so I got out my phone and took some photos.
“Normally, when taking photos of small mammals, I will hold my phone as low down as possible, because people don’t normally get to see these animals face to face, we normally find ourselves looking down on them, and it also looks cuter when I focus on their nose!
“Taking this photo, I was forced to hold my phone a little higher than usual, to show off the blanket framing the hedgehog, and his beautiful pale spines contrasting with the dark background.”
Every year, the RSPCA Young Photographer Awards invites young people aged 18 years and under to capture the animal kingdom on a camera or a mobile device.
Jo Rowland, RSPCA CEO, said: “Taking pictures of animals helps us sit up and take notice of how they live and their unique personalities - as well as being able to spot things we might not have seen with the naked eye. It can make us appreciate the challenges that wildlife face or see our pets in a whole new light - and sharing those beautiful images can help others to appreciate animals more, too.
“The RSPCA Young Photographer Awards is a fantastic event celebrating exceptional young talent and the amazing and wonderfully diverse animal kingdom each year. It really embodies what we are about as a charity - encouraging people to connect with animals and inspiring everyone to create a better world for every animal.”
The RSPCA Young Photographer Awards 2026 opens for entries on Tuesday May 5 2026. For more information visit https://young.rspca.org.uk/home for all the latest news, galleries and photo tips.
Email [email protected] to join the mailing list and be notified when the competition opens.