Capture the region's wildlife on camera

Photographers with a keen eye for flora and fauna are being invited to take part in a competition in the South West later this month.

OPAL South-West and the Plymouth Woodland Project, who are part of Plymouth University’s outreach programme to engage wider audiences in the study of biology and ecology, have set the challenge for participants to capture ‘urban wildlife’ and ‘wildlife in ex-industrial landscapes’ in Devon and Cornwall.

The competition aims to raise awareness of the diverse wildlife on our doorstep and the challenges nature faces, as Alison Smith, Community Scientist at Plymouth Woodland Project, explains: “There are few truly natural landscapes left – the actions of people have shaped the natural world for thousands of years, but the impact has never been greater than it is now.

"Climate change, habitat loss and degradation are making it harder for wildlife to survive. It’s important to be aware of this, but it’s also important to celebrate how wildlife has adapted and can thrive in unexpected situations.”

In total, there are four categories. Photos in the ‘urban wildlife’ and ‘wildlife in ex-industrial landscapes’ sections must have been taken within the last two years and need to be in wide angle or macro formats.  There is also a mobile phone category, and a fourth, general category for any other photos of nature and wildlife in the region, not specific in the other areas.

There’s an under-18s and over-18s section with a maximum of two pictures per category.  Entries should be submitted to opalwildlifephotos@gmail.com as JPEG files, between 2MB and 10MB, except for mobile phone pictures.

Each submission should include:

•         The photographer’s name

•         The photographer’s date of birth and age category entered

•         The date the photograph was taken

•         The location of the photograph (name of the site, name of the village/town/city)

•         A valid email address and contact telephone number

The competition opened on Friday 20 March and closes on Monday 31 August 2015.

The winners will be announced on Monday 14 September and the best pictures will be exhibited at the University during a celebratory event. Winners will also receive a high quality canvas print of their photograph.

For more information on the competition, including guidelines and terms and conditions, please visit http://www.opalexplorenature.org/southwest-photocomp.