The Zoological Society of London's Photography Prize 2015 winners announced

The Zoological Society of London (ZSL) has announced its winners for its annual photography competition. There were six categories including, "Last Chance to See", "The Perfect Moment" and "Size Matters". The conservation charity received over 450 entrants, with the six winners selected by an "expert panel of judges", including the likes of TV personalities Kate Humble and Bill Oddie.

ZSL director general Ralph Armond said: "As stories of rare species facing extinction and increasing illegal wildlife trade dominate headlines, the need to raise awareness of and celebrate the wonders of the natural world has never been more pressing. The ZSL Animal Photography Prize encourages photographers to capture the very essence of the animal kingdom and all that it entails, and the diversity of wildlife portrayed in the entries we've received has been so inspiring.

"For the fourth year running we have been impressed by the standard of the images entered into the ZSL Animal Photography Prize, with magnificent entries submitted not only by adults, but in the junior categories too, which only reaffirms our belief in the importance of rousing people of all ages to work for wildlife."

On his overall winning image (pictured above), Andy Skillen said: "Here we see a female grizzly bear, patrolling the beaches of the Greater Lake Clark National Park area with Alaska's ubiquitous mountains providing an iconic backdrop across the strait.

"As it was late in the day, and the light was lending itself to a truly spectacular silhouette, I lay down in the water a little way along the beach and waited for her to come into shot. She dipped her head to search for fish and her back momentarily became part of the mountain range.

"That gave me the split-second I needed to grab the image, and to portray the enormity of the landscape, and at the same time the all-dominant presence that only a grizzly can impart to a wilderness scene."

The winning images, as well as runners up, will be on display at the London Zoo from 18 September.