Credit: Owen Philips

A School of Life Sciences Zoology student came second in the One World Week photography competition with a photograph that captured 'Wildlife in Nature'.

Owen Philips’ well-timed photo of a Herring Gull devouring a carp was much-admired by the expert judges and it secured him the runner’s up prize.

Owen said: “Although wildlife photography consumes a lot of my time, this was my first competition entry so it was a real buzz to have the judges enjoy the photo, especially with so many amazing entries.

“The photo was taken in Brighton's Queens Park where I was shooting the newly hatched cygnets. It was one of those moments that reminds you to take the camera everywhere; the seagull thrust itself onto the banks with a small carp in its beak and devoured it in front of me.  While the gull is not necessarily a particularly exciting subject, it was a great reminder of how animals as urban as the herring gull often get mistakenly caught up in our perception of the unnatural.”

As part of the University’s One World Week celebrations, staff and students shared their perspective of our world and community with submissions through the lenses of the categories: My Community, Wildlife in Nature, Sustainability: A Better World, Hope and City Vibes.

Emily Winstanley, School of Life Sciences Student Experience Coordinator, was part of the organising team of the competition. She said: "I enjoyed working on this competition across Schools as it was a collaborative effort, which reflected the idea of 'One World Sussex'. It was particularly interesting to see how the five themes were interpreted by all the entrants and was personally pleased to see a great selection of Life Science students and staff taking part. Owen getting second place is well deserved with his visceral image of a herring gull gorging on a carp for the theme of 'Wildlife in Nature."

University of Sussex Business School MSc Sustainable Development student Niall Readfern won the competition with a photograph on the theme of hope.

The competition received 55 global entries, which will be exhibited in the University’s new Student Centre after its completion. The judges were:

• Lola Flash, American photographer based in New York
• Chongxiao Liu, Engineering and Design student at Sussex
• Pablo Santana Gutierrez, Fabrik magazine head photographer and editor in chief, and Media and Film student at Sussex
• Samirah Bello, Institute of Development Studies student at Sussex
• Stuart Robinson, University of Sussex photographer