Award-winning photos in Bristol

José Luis Rodríguez's WPY 2009 winning picture called The Storybook Wolf

One of the world's most prestigious photography exhibitions is retuning to Bristol's City Museum and Art Gallery this winter.

The 46th annual Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition attracted a record 43,135 entries from 94 countries in 2009 - a 33% increase on last year.

Nearly 100 wildlife and nature snaps, taken by top photographers from around the world, will be on show.

It will be in Bristol on a national tour from 5 December to 10 January.

The competition is owned by the Natural History Museum and BBC Wildlife Magazine.

The judges are looking for something that stops them in their tracks Mark Cawardine

This year the much coveted title of Veolina Environement Wildlife Photographer of the Year was awarded to Spanish photographer, Jose Lui Rodriguez, who impressed judges with his image, The Storybook Wolf.

Scottish teenager Fergus Gill was crowned Veolina Environement Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year for his dramatic photograph, Clash of the Yellowhammers.

Jonathan Clay, a photographer from Bristol, has been highly commended for his image Last of the Tuna, in the One Earth Award category.

The One Earth category seeks to highlight the interaction between humans and the natural world.

Taken in the waters off New Georgia in Western Province, Solomon Islands, Jonathan's photograph depicts a yellowfin tuna being caught by a fisherman onboard a commercial pole-and-line fishing vessel.

Jonathan Clay's picture was highly commended in the One Earth Category

Jonathan said: "If shoppers choose to buy tins of sustainably caught or pole-and-line tuna, it will help secure a future for pole and line vessels like this one - a better deal for all the marine life of the Pacific."

Chair of the judging panel, Mark Cawardine, said: "While there is no magic formula for winning and no hard and fast rules to explain why one photograph wins and another doesn't, all winning shots have one thing in common - originality.

"The judges are looking for something that stops them in their tracks.

"The competition plays an increasingly crucial role in raising the profile of wildlife photography and generating awareness of conservation.

"Nothing speaks louder than an evocative photograph that stirs the imagination, tugs at the heart strings and engages the mind."