Entries are now open for the Take a View – Landscape Photographer of the Year Awards 2012.
Photographers around Britain are being encouraged to shine a light on the best sights the country has to offer. For the third year running Network Rail is supporting the competition where amateurs and professional photographers can highlight the best pictures of Britain and win a top prize of £10,000. The competition, now in its sixth year, is the idea of renowned landscape photographer, Charlie Waite.
The best images will be displayed at an exhibition at the National Theatre in London. An additional prize will be given for the best photography of Britain’s rail network – the Network Rail ‘Lines in the Landscape’ Special Award. Last year’s winner was Shahbaz Majeed from Dundee, with a beautiful shot of a train passing over the Tay Bridge at dusk.
Says Tom Kelly, Network Rail’s director, corporate communications, ‘This competition celebrates something very special: the way this country looks in all its different ways, some changing, some not. I am delighted that the railway, which forms such an important backdrop for both the urban and rural landscape in so many places, should be a part of it, and look forward with anticipation to seeing the entries.’
Charlie Waite is keen to encourage more people to enter the railway award. ‘Judging this award is a great pleasure for me as Britain’s railways have always been close to my heart. Network Rail looks after an amazing 20,000 miles of track and owns over 2500 stations and so the photographic opportunities are endless.
‘I will be looking for an image that captures the spirit of today’s railways, be they in the busiest cities or most remote countryside. Details, urban views and sweeping tracks are all eligible and I am hoping to see many photographs that inspire.’
This year’s winner of the Lines in the Landscape award will win a weekend break and a flight on Network Rail’s inspection helicopter or a ride on the New Measurement Train.
For entry details visit: www.take-a-view.co.uk
