Climate South West offers prizes in climate change photo competition

THERE is still time for photographers to enter a competition showing the effects of climate change on the region.

Extreme weather events are expected to occur more frequently as our climate changes.

To help illustrate this, Climate SouthWest, a partnership set up to raise awareness of climate change, wants to showcase photos of extreme weather, and have six prizes on offer.

Entries should demonstrate the effects our changing climate is having on your local area – both for better and for worse.

There are four categories - Hot, Wet, Cold and Dry. As well as a prize for an overall winner, there’s a �20 prize for the best photo in each category and a �50 photography shop voucher for the best photo taken by an Under-16.

Top prize is a year’s family pass for the National Trust, the main sponsor of the competition.

Photos can be of anything - people, animals, landscape, cities – whatever you like! So long as it has a clear link to one of the weather-themed categories.

The photo could show the effects of weather on the South West (positive or negative), or could show actions or activities people take to cope with the weather e.g. sunshades or umbrellas!

The only conditions are that the photo must have been taken in the South West of England by yourself, any time from 1960 to the present day. The deadline for entry is March 13, 2011.

“We’ve been really impressed by the number and quality of entries received, but would like to remind people there is still time to enter!

“So far many of the entries have focused on cold weather, so we are keen to receive photos in the other three categories – representing hot, dry and wet, as well as those from under-16’s,” said Alex Webb, Manager of Climate SouthWest.

Photos will be judged according to both their quality and relevance to category theme with the winners announced during Climate Week March 21 – 27, 2011.

For further details of how to enter the competition, check the following the link http://www.oursouthwest.com/climate/registry/110313-photo-contest-brief.doc

Completed entry forms should be emailed, along with your photos to: climatesw@environment-agency.gov.uk.

Alternatively, you can post the entry form and photo (with negative if possible) to: Climate SouthWest, c/o Environment Agency, Manley House, Kestrel Way, Exeter EX2 7LQ. A form should be completed for each photo submitted.

If you have any questions about this competition, please contact Alex Webb (01392 442125) or Becca Eastman (01392 352230) at Climate SouthWest.