Enter the Cambridge Independent’s Photography Awards 2022 - and win great prizes

The Cambridge Independent is today launching a new photography competition – and we can’t wait to see your entries.

The Photography Awards are designed for amateurs, professionals and camera clubs, with a wide range of categories and some great prizes on offer.

Entry is open now via the form here, which enables you to upload your images.

There are a host of categories to enter, including for portraits, landscapes, nature, black and white, travel, architecture and street photography, along with a section for macro (close-up) photography.

We have included a specific category for smartphone images, along with a ‘creative’ category – which is open to interpretation.

And we have included a microscope and technical category, which could include photos taken in laboratories, for example.

In these categories, which are open to all non-professionals over-18, you can enter up to three pictures per category. You can enter up to six categories.

For our Camera Club of the Year category, clubs are invited to enter six images from any of the categories as a showcase of their members’ photography. And to be in with a chance of winning the Professional Photographer of the Year title, professionals are invited to submit a portfolio of up to six images.

You’ll find more a bout the categories and rules below.

The awards are supported by headline sponsor Visit South Cambs – the tourism website at visitsouthcambs.co.uk – and there is further support from Domino Printing. Prizes will be offered by Campkins Cameras, the Cambridge camera shop, while the National Trust is offering annual family or individual memberships, worth up to £133 each, to three of our winners.

Some of the entries and all of our winners will have their images featured in the Cambridge Independent, and many will also appear in our sister magazines – iQ, our quarterly business magazine, which will showcase images from the winner of our Professional Photographer of the Year category, and Velvet, our lifestyle monthly magazine.

Judges will include our picture editor Keith Heppell – a winner of the UK Weekly Photographer of the Year.

Enter by midnight on December 11 by uploading your images at cambridgeindependent.co.uk/photography-awards/

Visit South Cambs

We are pleased to have the support of visitsouthcambs.co.uk, the tourism website for South Cambridgeshire, created by the district council. It was launched in September 2021, with residents and visitors encouraged to explore, discover, and enjoy what South Cambridgeshire has to offer in terms of activities, places to eat, cultural attractions and green spaces.

The website was the first online platform dedicated to promoting the district’s tourist sector businesses, making it easier for people to have more fun and discover hidden gems closer to home and, by doing so, support local jobs and economies.

South Cambridgeshire District Council’s lead cabinet member for economic development, Cllr Peter McDonald, said: “South Cambridgeshire is one of the most picturesque and photogenic places in the country – and we’re thrilled to be supporting these awards.

“www.visitsouthcambs.co.uk is very much about showcasing the incredible natural and built amenities that we are lucky enough to have on our doorstep, so I’m looking forward to seeing these showcased in the photos submitted for the awards. Good luck to all who enter.”

Local tourism, hospitality and leisure businesses and event organisers can sign up for a free listing at visitsouthcambs.co.uk. You can also find Visit South Cambs on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn.

Domino Printing

Domino Printing, the Bar Hill-based company, is supporting our Travel category.

Sharon Budworth, director of engagement, said: “Domino Printing is proud to sponsor these inaugural awards to support and celebrate photography in our region, both from professionals and aspiring photographers. As a company, we recognise the benefits that photography has on both our mind and body – whether it’s taking photos ourselves or enjoying images from others. It allows us to escape and connect with the world around us, improving our mental health and sense of wellbeing.

“During the Covid pandemic we encouraged our employees to get outside, enjoy nature and to share their images online with colleagues – an initiative that helped us all to stay connected with each other, particularly during lockdown.

“We are pleased to support the Travel category to represent us as a global business and inspire our relationships with other communities and cultures, whether that’s in the next village, across the UK or around the world.”

The National Trust

The National Trust is supporting our Nature category. It is offering three annual National Trust memberships – either for individuals or families – as prizes. One of these will go to the winner of the Nature category, with the other two selected from our other category winners.

Emma Hay, nature conservation advisor for the National Trust, said: “Nature is essential to our lives. For children and adults alike, being in green, open space, near healthy rivers and exploring nature’s colours, sounds and textures has all been linked to less stress and better health.

“More than ever before, nature has been a source of comfort during difficult times. However, there’s still lots to do to protect and restore nature for future generations to enjoy. At the National Trust we’re working hard to safeguard nature for years to come and it all starts with more people appreciating its beauty and its importance.

“That’s why we’re encouraging people to get involved in this new photography competition. Whether it’s autumn colour, ancient trees or wildlife encounters caught on camera, we want you to be inspired by nature’s beauty. We can’t wait to see your submissions.”

The categories

The following are open to non-professionals aged over 18 in the Greater Cambridge region:

• Portrait
• Landscape
• Nature
• Black and white
• Macro
• Street
• Travel
• Architecture
• Smartphone
• Creative
• Microscope and technical

Camera Club of the Year (enter six images) – open to all clubs in the Greater Cambridge region

Professional Photographer of the Year (enter up to six images) – open to pros living or working in the Greater Cambridge region

The rules

• The competition is for over-18s, as we are also supporting the Rotary Club of Cambridge’s Young Photographer competition.
• In the categories for all, you can enter up to six categories, and three images per category. In the Camera Club and Professional categories, you can enter up to six categories.
• The work submitted must be your own or, in the case of the Camera Club, be submitted with the permission of each photographer involved.
• Copyright remains with the photographer, but by entering the competition, you grant us the right to publish your photographs free of charge in connection with the competition in our newspapers, magazines and websites and to display them at an exhibition.
• Editing software can be used.
• There is an opportunity to include a note with the photographs entered if you wish to tell us anything further about your images.
• The judges’ decision is final.
• Winners will be announced in the new year.

Any questions? Contact paul.brackley@iliffemedia.co.uk

Enter the competition here. Good luck!