© Bence Máté/ Veolia Environnement Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2010
Hungarian photographer Bence Máté has scooped this year?s Veolia Environnement Wildlife Photographer of the Year title with a picture of ants in a Costa Rican rainforest.
Máté?s shot of leaf-cutter ants, entitled ?A marvel of ants?, beat tens of thousands of entries from all over the world.
It was one of a portfolio of six which the 25-year-old photographer had entered into the Eric Hosking Award category, open to photographers aged 18-26.
Competition judge Mark Carwardine said: ?The photographer is clearly a master of his craft with an artist?s eye.’
Meanwhile, Fergus Gill from Scotland bagged the young wildlife photographer prize for the second year in a row.
More than 100 prize-winning photos from the competition go on show at the Natural History Museum in London from tomorrow, before touring worldwide.
Last year?s contest attracted mass media attention when the winner was stripped of his title having been accused of breaking the rules.
The competition is run by the Natural History Museum and BBC Wildlife Magazine.
For more details visit www.nhm.ac.uk/wildphoto
