Queer Nature Photography Awards 2026
"Tiny Dancers"
Katherine Hannaford
"Tiny Dancers"
Garden snails are simultaneous hermaphrodites - each individual has both male and female sexual organs. This means any two mature individuals can mate, which is a clear advantage when you consider finding a mate in the first place can’t be easy. Active at night, with limited senses of sight and hearing they rely mostly on touch and taste to sense one another. On meeting, the snails “dance” circling around each other and engaging in elaborate touching and tasting before lining up their genitals and exchanging sperm packets. In its entirety, the mating ritual can last up to 12 hours. As garden snails are typically nocturnal I decided to photograph them in the dark, using a UV lamp as the only light source. Their mucus fluoresces a brilliant blue-green - striking against the dark background of the garden furniture. I like the idea that a small creature often overlooked as mundane or everyday can shine when seen (literally and metaphorically) in a different light. I also wanted to play with the sense of time in the image, capturing the beautiful details and recognisable features of the snails in a shorter exposure and overlaying this with a longer exposure to capture the long, fluid, kind of messy nature of the snail interactions.
About the Photographer
Name: Katherine Hannaford
Age: 35
Nationality: from the United Kingdom
How does your identity influence your work?
There is a joy in connecting with things that often go unseen or unnoticed and finding their
hidden beauty. We all have a unique lens which we view the world through. In accepting the
world for all its diversity - of forms, species, stories; and accepting there is no fixed definition of
“normal”, we allow ourselves to be open, playful, subversive and creative.
What message do you hope to convey with your work about the intersection of queerness and biodiversity in nature?
The stories nature holds can empower us. It is a source of connection and self realisation.
What do you think is the importance of highlighting diversity in both nature and society, and how can photography play a role in this?
Highlighting diversity in nature and society widens our world view, challenges oppression and
shows that we exist, we are natural and we are beautiful. Creating powerful images that tell a
story, or inspire even a moment of curiosity might just open minds.
What is your favorite example of queerness in nature?
There are too many great examples to pick a favourite. Obviously I like the snails and, but if you
want something else I like the stuff on bonobos from Queer Ducks and Other Animals,
summarised well in a WWF article: Most bonobos (who share almost 99% of their DNA with humans) are bisexual, and homosexual encounters are even more common than heterosexual ones. Bonobo societies are led by a group of sexually connected females and some scientists believe that the purpose of their sexual relationships is not only to reproduce but also to maintain harmony among the group.
A note from the Narwhal Rainbow Alliance
While human systems often enforce a strict binary, nature frequently operates entirely outside of it—roughly 30% of all non-insect animal species are hermaphroditic, making the separation of male and female sexes the exception rather than the rule in many ecosystems. By existing as two sexes simultaneously, garden snails challenge the heteronormative assumption that reproduction requires rigid, opposite roles. Instead, they represent a cooperative, non-binary paradigm of mutual giving and receiving where every individual is an equal partner. From a biodiversity standpoint, these gastropods are unsung heroes of soil health, recycling nutrients as decomposers and serving as a vital food source for local birds and mammals. Their greatest threat in urban and suburban spaces is the widespread use of chemical pesticides (molluscicides). We can easily support these resilient, gender-free creatures by avoiding toxic slug pellets and cultivating diverse, chemical-free garden habitats.
Garden Snails (Cornu aspersum) – Least Concern 🟢
Top 13 Award Entries 2026
