Northern Ireland vet wins BVA Veterinary Photographer of the Year competition..here's the two winning pictures

A Bangor vet’s delightful photograph of his dog literally jumping for joy on a beach, has been announced as one of the winners of the BVA Veterinary Photographer of the Year 2023.

The image by small animal practice vet Sam Price is one of three stunning images taken by UK vets which have been selected as winners of BVA’s Veterinary Photographer of the Year 2023. The winning photographs were selected from nine finalists, shortlisted from hundreds of entries that were taken by vets, both in their professional and private lives. The much-loved competition, which is hosted by the British Veterinary Association (BVA) and sponsored by iM3 Dental, awards a winner and a highly commended in three categories - Vets at work, All creatures great and small and Happy pets that make us smile.

Happy pets that make us smile winner – Jumping for joy by Sam Price

Small animal practice vet Sam Price, from Bangor, Northern Ireland, won the Happy pets that make us smile category with his photo Jumping for Joy, which features Winnie the dog, who loves nothing more than a beach day.

Sam, who graduated from the Royal Veterinary College in 2017, said: “I am delighted to be the winner of this photo category. I took the image of my dog, Winnie, whilst on a campervan trip on the north coast of Ireland. She loves nothing more than a beach day as you can see so I felt this was a fitting photo for the brief.

“Thankfully there was a rare bout of sunshine on the day which made for some nice lighting and Winnie is pretty photogenic which always helps!"

Sam was also highly commended in the Vets at work category with A Gentle Touch by Sam Price. A Ring-tailed Lemur gently grasps the vet’s finger while recovering from an anaesthetic.

This year’s judging panel – consisting of BVA president Malcolm Morley, vet and social media influencer Cat Henstridge and iM3 sales manager Sue Emmerton – were impressed by the quality of the images and how well they captured the categories they were entered into.

Malcolm said: “We were highly impressed by the quality of the entries in this year’s competition, from the composition of each image to the high standard and crispness of the photos. This competition is an opportunity for our incredible vets to showcase their talents outside of their practice. The winning images stood out to us for many reasons, but we particularly liked how each one captured the essence of the category it was entered into Sam Price’s photo of Winnie the dog literally jumping for joy stole our hearts and genuinely made us all break out in smiles.

“Congratulations to all the winners, and also a huge well done to all the finalists as well, it was a really tough decision but you should be proud of the incredible photographs you entered and your talents.”