An image of one of Britain’s most prized historical assets – Corfe Castle – has helped secure a Belgian web developer the top award in the Icon category of the prestigious annual Wanderlust Travel Photo of the Year competition.

The evocative photograph of the 1,000-year-old ruins enveloped in mist was taken by Bart Heirweg from Ghent, while he was on holiday in Dorset. He commented: “It was a sight I will never forget.”

The other winning images include a photograph of a woman in Athoor market, South India People Category , Iceland’s Seljalandsfoss waterfall Landscape Category and a bear cub escaping an adult bear in Pirttivaara forest, Finland Wildlife Category .

The winner of each of the four categories will be whisked away on a photographic commission to Quito in Ecuador courtesy of the Quito Tourism Board and will receive a Nikon camera worth £150. Category runners-up will win a Nikon digital SLR camera worth £800.

Launched in association with The Independent, the competition this year attracted more than 5,000 entries – making it the UK’s biggest travel photography competition. Professional photographer judges Steve Davey, Paul Goldstein and Paul Harris were all amazed at the exceptional quality of this year’s entries.

Wanderlust’s Editor-in-Chief, Lyn Hughes, commented on the increasingly high standard: “You would think most of them are professionals. There was particularly tough competition in the People category this year.”

To view the online image gallery, showcasing all category winners and finalists in this year’s competition, visit wanderlust.co.uk/photocomp .

All shortlisted photographs will be exhibited at Destinations Holiday & Travel Show 2010 at the Birmingham NEC (www.destinationsshow.com ; 5-7 March).

Full competition results and shortlisted images can be found in the March issue of Wanderlust, on sale 18 February (price £3.99). The 2010 competition will be launched online and in our August/September issue, on sale 22 July.