26 year-old from East Sussex crowned winner of Photographer of the Year competition at Natural History Museum

26-year-old self-taught wildlife photographer, Rachel Bigsby, has been crowned the winner of ‘Natural Artistry’ in the prestigious Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition at the Natural History Museum in London.

This momentous occasion makes East Sussex's Rachel the youngest winner in the history of the category and one of just nine women awarded out of 49,957 entries across 95 countries.

Rachel first discovered her passion for photography along the cliffs of Eastbourne and has since carved a career working around the UK, the Arctic and soon Antarctica and the Falkland Islands.

When speaking about her award-winning image, Rachel said: “It was my first time visiting this location and I was staggered by its unique beauty. As our boat chugged toward the island I was quick to see potential, but realised my vision would be tricky aboard a small boat in turbulent sea swell at the foot of the towering cliffs.

"The potential I saw was in the sculpted sandstone, rising 180 metres (590 feet) above the North Sea, hosting more than 22,000 northern gannets breeding on its ledges carved by the elements. Each curve was softly draped in streaks of white guano which exaggerated the meandering shape, and within each hourglass sat one or two gannets. I wanted a courting pair, but amongst the 22,000, I couldn’t find one.

"Then, I spotted the perfect pair, isolated on a lower ledge, intertwining their necks and framed meticulously by the streaks of guano. In a few seconds the boat aligned with the rocks, everything came together - the courting gannets drew up against a dark hollow on the guano-painted curves of sandstone - and I got my shot, enhancing the complementary shapes in black and white”.

Rachel’s winning image is a part of the WPY59 collection and will be presented at the Natural History Museum in October before touring to 25 venues across four continents, reaching millions globally, shining a spotlight on these stories and species to build awareness of both the beauty and vulnerability of our natural world, and to create advocates for the planet.