Calling Amateur Wildlife Photographers
Prizes, publication and the opportunity to feature in a photography exhibition at St Albans Cathedral are all up for grabs in a wildlife photography contest run by Hertfordshire and Middlesex Wildlife Trust.
World Photography Day, on 19 August, marked the launch of the Wild Snaps Photography Competition, now in its third year.
The competition asks amateur photographers and casual snappers across Hertfordshire and Middlesex to submit their best wildlife shots across three categories – General Wildlife, Under 16’s and a Rivers category, which celebrates 10 years of the Trust’s Living Rivers project. Photographs can be submitted online via the Trust’s website until 7 September.
For the first time in Wild Snaps history, a judging panel will decide on the best 30 images in the competition. This expert panel includes: Tom Hanner, an award-winning wildlife filmmaker and photographer, Jeanette Lendon of Jet Black Squares, a professional photographer who has hung up her long lens and now champions smartphone photography, Will Jobbins, the winner of Wild Snaps 2021 and a talented macro-photography enthusiast, together with the Trust’s Conservation Manager, Tim Hill, a keen photographer who has contributed many of his photos to a wide range of Trust publications over the past 20 years.
The panel’s selection will provide the shortlist for the public to vote on from 19 to 28 September. Everyone who votes will be eligible to enter a prize draw to win an exclusive one-to-one Smartphone Photography session provided by Jet Black Squares.
All 30 shortlisted photographs will be exhibited at St Albans Cathedral from 1-20 October. The exhibition is open to all and entrance is free of charge. The winners will be presented with their prizes at a special event to be held at the Cathedral on 3 October.
The winning images will also be featured in Wildlife Matters, The Trust’s membership magazine. Additionally, there are monetary vouchers for wildlife watching equipment and Wildlife Trust branded binoculars, kindly donated by competition sponsors, Opticron, plus a variety of unique wildlife experiences to be won.
Natasha Aidinyantz, Digital Communication Officer at the Trust said: ‘Photography is a great way to connect with wildlife. By nature, it makes you look more closely at what’s around and focus on the beauty that exists close by, whether that’s in an urban or a rural location. We’re lucky to have a community of people who regularly share their photographs of wildlife with us across Hertfordshire and Middlesex. These never fail to inform, surprise and delight us – we’re really hoping that Wild Snaps amplifies this type of response for our following. We can’t wait to see everyone’s images and to share the judges’ favourites.’
Wild Snaps competition is open for entries from 19 August to 7 September and the winners will be announced at the end of September. Entries can be submitted via the Trust’s website here: www.hertswildlifetrust.org.uk/wildsnaps