We are delighted to announce the 2nd year of the Barry Wells Young Photographer Award. This prize category is part of the Bailiwick Wildlife Photographer of the Year Exhibition run by Guernsey Arts and is open to everyone up to the age of 24 in full or part-time education.
Last year’s winner was Ajax Amy, a student at Elizabeth College who took a superb photo of a carder bee in flight. It was commended by the judges who liked its colour balance, sharp focus and said “It may have been just a snapshot, but it captures the bee’s movement really well”.
The award of £500 and membership of the Bumblebee Conservation Trust will be awarded for the best photograph or reel of a pollinating insect in Guernsey. The best entries will be displayed in the Greenhouse Gallery from the 30th January until March 2026.
How to Enter
All entries must be received by Guernsey Arts before the 1st December using this google form https://bit.ly/4oIBjqx or by emailing jarded@arts.gg
You can submit up to 5 images or films in any format, but make sure they are of the best quality you can provide. And they must feature a pollinating insect in Guernsey, Sark, Herm or Alderney. That includes, bees, butterflies, moths, flies, beetles, bugs, there is plenty of scope. If in doubt send us a message to check. You must of course be the originator of the image and own all moral and intellectual property in it.
You must be in full-time or part-time education and under the age of 24 on the 1st December 2025.
How to Win!
You don’t need a macro lens or super sophisticated cameras to take great quality photos these days. Smartphones give everyone a chance of winning and we are all surrounded by pollinators during the warmer months. Often we think of honeybees when someone talks about pollinators, but in Guernsey we have thousands of other species involved in this vital process. Pollinators come in all shapes and sizes, some of the most important and surprising pollinators are flies, beetles, and bugs. But very many butterflies, moths and bees also carry out this vital process which helps our flowers grow and is essential for our food.
The award has been made possible by generous donations made in memory of Barry Wells co-founder of the Pollinator Project who passed away last year.
Barry was passionate about pollinating insects, bees, butterflies, moths and was also an acclaimed wildlife photographer. His images can still be seen on his website https://barrywells.co.uk/. Every year he went to every junior and primary school in the Bailiwick and presented a different group of pollinators using his slo-mo films and fantastic photography. It was a joy to go with Barry to one of these special assemblies and see students leave the assemblies buzzing and flying around the schools.
In 2023 a wall of his photographs was featured in the Wildlife Photography exhibition and went on tour to Sark and Alderney. Rather than leave them in a cupboard, his family donated them to Elizabeth College where they have been displayed and available as a teaching aid. Barry would have been delighted that they were considered good enough for this.
Of course no wildlife should be disturbed or harmed as a result of the photography or filming, but beyond that you have lots of scope. You might want to consider submitting an image that shows the link between pollinators and flowers or pollen itself. The setting can be a garden, a cliff path, anywhere in nature or like some of Barry’s photos you might have posed them on a plain background. Some of our favourite images feature bees going into bee hotels.
If you are looking for inspiration go to Barry’s website https://barrywells.co.uk/
Finally don’t think your image isn’t good enough! You might be surprised and win £500 cash.