Amateur photographers invited to capture the essence of the countryside

The Julian Gardner Awards, run by the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust, are inviting amateur photographers to submit their images of the British countryside to the 2021 competition.

Entries should relate to the conservation charity’s research and advisory work, taking in all aspects of the UK countryside, including the people who live and work there, game, wildlife, habitats and landscape. “We are looking for images that provoke an immediate reaction. We want to see the glory of the British countryside in all its forms: wildlife, people or landscape, and in all weathers!” says James Swyer, awards judge and GWCT press and publications manager.

“The standard of entries always astonishes us. Over the past year many of us have been spending more time in the countryside near our homes, so we are hoping to see even more inspiring images that show the day to day life of the British countryside.”

2020’s competition was won by Jenny Hibbert from Port Talbot with a stunning image of two hares in the rain, taken in the Cairngorms. Sixteen-year old Katy Read from Newcastle scooped the prize in the junior section with a close-up of a robin with its feathers fluffed up against the cold.

The Julian Gardner Awards are now in their eighth year. The competition was launched in memory of Julian Gardner, a Sussex farmer and lifelong supporter of the GWCT, who was tragically killed while defending his property in October 2010.

There are two categories: the adult section and 16-and-under. The adult winner is awarded the GWCT Julian Gardner trophy, a beautifully crafted sculpture of a hare, to keep for year, while the junior winner will receive a sculpture of a leveret. The winners also receive large prints of their winning photographs, as well as seeing them published in the GWCT’s membership magazine, Gamewise.

The competition closes on 30 June 2021. Full details and competition entry rules are available at: www.gwct.org.uk/photocompetition

Notes to editors

The Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust – providing research-led conservation for a thriving countryside. The GWCT is an independent wildlife conservation charity which has carried out scientific research into Britain’s game and wildlife since the 1930s. We advise farmers and landowners on improving wildlife habitats. We employ 22 post-doctoral scientists and 50 other research staff with expertise in areas such as birds, insects, mammals, farming, fish and statistics. We undertake our own research as well as projects funded by contract and grant-aid from Government and private bodies. The Trust is also responsible for several Government Biodiversity Action Plan species and is lead partner for grey partridge and joint lead partner for brown hare and black grouse.

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