The summer heat of the WWT Photography Competition begins

A drop in the ocean, John Foreman, Puffin with sand eel catch, Canada Gosling, Dee Maddams, Cygnets, Ian Cook, Hilary Dean-Hughes, Nature's spectacular palette, Gwyneth A Jones

The fourth and final heat of the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust’s (WWT) popular 2011-2012 Photography Competition opens today (1 June), held in association with Canon in celebration of the Scott Antarctic Expedition Centenary.

And for those who have only entered one previous heat of the competition, this summer heat is the last opportunity to be in with a chance to win an amazing trip of a lifetime to Antarctica. Only photographers entering three or more images into two or more seasonal heats are eligible for the Portfolio Photographer of the Year Award.

Following on from the success of the spring heat which received nearly 10,000 entries and a staggering 55,000 votes in the ‘People’s Choice’ category, the next season has much to live up to as interest in the competition continues to grow. 

WWT is calling on all nature lovers and photographers to submit their most prized pictures before 31 August 2012 when the summer heat and the entire WWT photography 2011-2012 competition will close.

Spring heat winners representing each of WWT’s nine wetland centres will be chosen from each of the main categories - Wetland Wildlife, Wetland Landscapes, Wildlife & People and Junior Photographer of the Year (under 18s) over the next couple of weeks.  Votes for the spring heat People’s Choice category, where members of the public can go online and choose their favourite entry each season, are being accepted until 31 May 2012, when a winner will be chosen. All the regional winners for each of the four seasonal heats will go through to the national finals to be held in Autumn 2012.

Whilst photographs entered into all the other categories must have been taken at one of WWT’s nine wetland wildlife centres across the UK,  the World Wetlands category invites entries taken of wetlands large or small, good or bad, from all over the world. These can range from rivers in Rwanda, lakes in Lagos to creeks in Colorado, or even one of the most extreme wetlands in the world, Antarctica. A shortlist will be chosen from this category for each seasonal heat to go on to the national finals.

Finally, to be in with the chance of winning the grand prize of the trip to Antarctica, entrants must submit at least three or more photographs in at least two or more seasonal heats. If this criteria is met, the entrant’s ‘portfolio’ will be automatically entered into the Portfolio Photographer of the Year category. At the national finals, each portfolio photographer’s three best photographs (as shortlisted by the judges) will be considered with the winner receiving the Portfolio Photographer of the Year Award and the grand prize of a 12-day fully inclusive trip to Antarctica, courtesy of Exodus in partnership with Quark Expeditions.

The competition is being held in association with Canon, in celebration of the Scott Antarctic Expedition Centenary, and offers an amazing £50,000 worth of fantastic prizes for the national winners, including a grand prize for the Portfolio Photographer category of a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Antarctica courtesy of Exodus in partnership with Quark Expeditions.  Visit www.wwt.org.uk/photo for full details.

For more information, or to enter the competition, visit www.wwt.org.uk/photo.