BBC Staff Photography Competition 2006

The results of the BBC Staff Photography Competition 2006 are in. And with more than 700 images, from more than 190 participants, the competition has actually doubled in size since its first run in 2005! This year Richard Sambrook, Director of Global News sponsored the competition and it was co-ordinated by Gillian Bibby with help from Ben Yacobi and Annabel Blair.

And so to the winners!

Antony Smith's graphic and striking, "Leopard Nose", is our overall winner; the judges all agreed that this was a well-cropped image, bursting with texture. David Fawcett's witty mobile pic "Winged creature is born - give word to make off! (9)" was judged a perfect example of the opportunist nature of camphones and is our overall runner-up. Joseph Hassell's frenzied image, "Hungry Humpback", has achieved a commendation in the overall competition as a technically brilliant capture worthy of a BBC wildlife programme.

Here's our virtual gallery of all the winners, runners-up and commendations. Congratulations to all of you!

And well done to everyone who took part or contributed to the competition, whether you’ve been sending in your photos, judging or just making it all happen.

It’s been great fun – and, after all, that’s what it was about!

>> CLICK ON THE THUMBNAILS TO SEE THE AWARD-WINNING IMAGES

Overall Winner

OVERALL WINNER: Leopard Nose

by Antony Smith, Technical Project Manager, R&M New Media (London). ALSO WINNER: CLOSE-UP

This image was a clear favourite with all the judges. The decision to choose the crop of the nose instead of the whole face makes the subject come alive. It's a technically good black and white graphic and Antony has given careful attention to the exposure to stop the whites being burnt out.

OVERALL RUNNER-UP: Winged creature is born - give word to make off! (9)

by David Fawcett, Head of Policy Development, Strategy (London). ALSO RUNNER-UP: MY MOBILE

An excellent example of capturing a specific moment with a camphone. It's a clever and well-composed juxtaposition between the crossword clue in the newspaper and the butterfly.

COMMENDATION 1: (OVERALL): Hungry Humpback

by Joseph Hassell, Assistant Producer, Factual & Learning (Bristol). ALSO COMMENDATION: OUR WORLD

A truly arresting image. It's also a fantastic capture of an opportune moment of natural frenzy. The extreme clarity of the image shows its technical brilliance.

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Our World

WINNER: Tsauchab River , Sossusvlei

by Dave Curtis, Education Developer, Factual & Learning (London)

An epic image of what we are doing to our world, its decay and desolateness. The image could be a painting and is technically fantastic with a good sense of perspective. An extraordinary shot with interesting foreground (is it vegetation or bones?).

RUNNER-UP: Two Girls

by Aaron de Souza, Broadcast Technology Support (Millbank)

A great example of a difficult shot. It's warm, positive and technically great. It's very human and well-lit from behind. It's an image of affection and the viewer is left wanting to know more about these girls and their story.

COMMENDATION 1: Hungry Humpback

by Joseph Hassell, Assistant Producer, Factual & Learning (Bristol)

A really beautiful image of nature at work. Joseph has done a great job not to burn out the exposure with the white background and the seagulls' heads.

COMMENDATION 2: ourworld2006 (Water chess in Budapest)

by Jacqueline Faulkner, Senior Researcher, TVC (London)

A real sense of cultural resonance. A good reportage shot that wouldn't look out of place in a Sunday supplement. It draws the viewer into the picture, asking questions and wanting more. A sense of decadence and hangover from the Communist era of Eastern Europe.

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Close-up

WINNER: Leopard Nose

by Antony Smith, Technical Project Manager, R&M New Media (London)

This image would not look out of place on a poster. It is such a superb image - you can almost feel the leopard's breath steaming up the lens!

RUNNER-UP: Drop

by Rob Kennedy, Picture Editor, News, TVC (London)

A real grower in popularity with the judges. Nice colours and very technically accomplished with a very crisp focal point. This image truly encapsulates what the category is about.

COMMENDATION 1: Tug tryptich

Karim Attia, Team Assistant, Current Affairs (London)

A good combination of colours, textures and lines. Each time you look at this image, it offers you something more. The chain and rope provide a good sense of Yin and Yang.

COMMENDATION 2: Spider

by Chris Taylor, Ops Organiser (Tunbridge Wells)

A surreal and witty image with good use of colours. A really intriguing shot that draws the viewer into asking what does it all mean? It does not make comfortable viewing.

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Colours of August

WINNER: Green

by Dan Maudsley, Broadcast Journalist (Radio Cleveland)

This fleeting moment has been captured spectacularly well. Bold framing which enhances the beauty of Scotland and the drama of the sun, the hills and the choppy water. This is an opportunity of beauty which has been captured perfectly. You can feel the drama of a summer day.

RUNNER-UP: Seaside stall (with seagull)

by Karen McCririck, Sub Editor, BBC3 (London)

Nice use of colours and wit to showcase the paraphernalia of a typical British beach. The image works because of the seagull peering out of the top. The seagull represents the only bit of nature left. It has a commercial feel to it and would make a great advertising shot.

COMMENDATION: Lowering Sky

by Colin Hazelden, Senior Broadcast Journalist, East Midlands News (Nottingham)

Good composition and amount of detail with classic proportions. The judges liked the light shining off the hay bale. You can almost feel the relief of the farmer for having baled all the hay before the rain begins. Another good showcase of the drama of weather.

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We are Creative!

WINNER: Inside Bush House (dustbin)

by Hazem Abuwatfa, Producer, Arabic Service (London)

The bin showed creativity by looking at the mundane, and turning it into something beautiful and imaginative. It shows that you can find interesting and creative images in your everyday environment, even in your lunch hour. Good photography isn't always about far flung corners of the World or expensive cameras or Photoshop. It's about looking at the World around you from a slightly different viewpoint, and finding something new there.

RUNNER-UP: Cranes

by Andy Aldridge, Gateway Content Producer (London)

This was a very technical piece; using pin hole photography harks right back to its inception, images like this are part art, part luck. It has a misty historic feel of a by-gone age. This was creative from the point of view of how the image was created - the lowest technology available for creating photos, and even though / because it was blurry and dark, it was a wonderful image.

COMMENDATION: I am the black gold of the sun…

by Annabel Caulton, Broadcast Journalist, English Regions (Birmingham)

It's a very striking image. There is so much detail in there that it evokes the imagination of the viewer, and makes the viewer be creative when looking at the image, trying to work out what it is. This image just kept on giving, snow? Sugar? It can be both, your eye explores each flake, each sparkle. It's a great abstract with bags of pin sharp detail and tone.

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My Mobile

WINNER: The Sky on fire, from the train home tonight

by Annabel Blair, Change Manager, Global News Division (London)

A clear favourite with the judges. Everyone can relate to this image. It's a perfect balance between reflection and landscape. It is well composed and uses a nice angle. A good composition - the image also heralds a surreal element to it.

RUNNER-UP: Winged creature is born - give word to make off! (9)

by David Fawcett, Head of Policy Development, Strategy (London)

This image just shouts opportunity, opportunity, opportunity! You can imagine the stealth it required to get the camphone out and line up the shot without disturbing the butterfly. A real gem!

COMMENDATION: Everlong

by Ian Finch, Senior Producer, Football (London)

This is a great picture. Everyone who has ever been to a concert has wanted to take a picture as good as this home with them afterwards. The photographer has chosen an opportune moment with the lighting and crowd to get a really nice snap.

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