The closing date for entries for the Wanderlust  Travel Photo of the Year Competition is 28 November 2009. Prizes include cash, photo commissions to Ecuador’s capital Quito, and  Nikon digital cameras. For more details of the competition, including full terms and conditions, see www.wanderlust.co.uk/photocomp.

Since we launched the 14th annual Wanderlust Travel Photo of the Year competition in July we’ve once again been astonished by the quality of the entries that have been submitted. The entry deadline of 28 November is fast approaching so both amateur and professional photographers need to submit their best shots now for a chance to win some outstanding prizes.

The fantastic prizes in the five categories – four solely for amateur photographers – include cash, photo commissions to Ecuador’s capital Quito, and great Nikon digital cameras.

The winning photos, plus a selection of shortlisted shots, will be printed in Wanderlust magazine and The Independent newspaper, as well as being showcased in a stunning exhibition at Destinations 2010, the UK’s top holiday and travel show.

Amateur Categories
Photos must fit one of four categories – People, Wildlife, Landscape or Travel Icons (classic shots of places, events and people that have achieved an iconic visual status in the world of travel: shots that sum up the essence of destinations).

The winner of each of our four amateur categories (plus a companion) will be whisked off on a photo commission to Quito, courtesy of Quito Tourism and LAN, on a mission to capture some of the magic of this beautiful World Heritage city and its stunning Andean surroundings. They’ll also win a Nikon camera worth £150. Each category runner-up wins a Nikon SLR camera worth £800 and highly commended shots win the photographers a £380 Nikon camera.

Portfolio Category
The Portfolio category is open to both amateur and professional photographers, with a top prize of £5,000! Entrants to this category each need to assemble a set of five eye-catching images, all themed to fit one of the four amateur categories (People, Wildlife, Landscapes, Travel Icons). The top prize of £5,000 will be awarded to the best portfolio of travel images, while a lucky runner-up will walk away with a Nikon camera worth £800.

Wanderlust’s Editor-in-Chief and founder Lyn Hughes commented: “We’ve been really impressed by the superb images that have been entered in to the competition so far and the quality just seems to improve every year. However there is still time for photographers to enter their favourite shots and win some fantastic prizes!”

For more details of the competition, including full terms and conditions, see www.wanderlust.co.uk/photocomp or the November issue of Wanderlust, on sale now (priced £3.99). The closing date for entries is 28 November 2009.

All shortlisted photographs will be exhibited at Destinations Holiday & Travel Show 2010 at London Earl’s Court (4-7 February) & Birmingham NEC (5-7 March).
For details visit www.destinationsshow.com

Image copyright Maciej Duczynski, last years winner.