The Environmental Photographer of the Year competition is calling for entries from environmentally conscious photographers and filmmakers of all ages, nationalities and abilities.

Launched by the Chartered Institute of Water and Environmental Management (CIWEM), the competition was created to enable photographers to share images of environmental and social issues with international audiences.

Although the competition’s overall theme is social and natural issues of the environment, three sub-themes have been established, each offering separate prizes:

• People, nature and economy - photography of sustainable environmental and economic development, biodiversity and the value and connection to the natural world, amongst others that focus on ‘people, nature and climate’ could compete for this themed prize;
• The built environment - including, but not exclusively, images representing: people and cities; environmental solutions from design, materials and structures; design and wellbeing for society, communities and the public; transportation; and
• The changing climate - images representing ‘the changing climate’ such as extreme natural disasters, adapting to climate change and human resilience, and similar ideas could be considered for this category.

In addition to the photography categories, there is also a prize for short films between five seconds and five minutes long. Entrants can submit up to 10 still photographs or films.

Prizes for the competition, supported by the Forestry Commission England, include £3,000 for the ‘Environmental Photographer of the Year’, £1,000 for the ‘Young Environmental Photographer of the Year (Under 25) and residencies, cash prizes and showcases for the sub-themes.

Finalists’ images will be exhibited at the Royal Geographical Society in London in June and will tour forest venues nationally in Autumn and Winter.

The competition will be judged by a panel including Ian Dunn, former Chief Executive of the Galapagos Conservation Trust; Dr David Haley, Senior Research Fellow at Manchester Metropolitan University; Tim Parkin, Landscape photographer and Editor of On Landscape magazine; and Hayley Skipper, Curator of Arts Development, Forestry Commission England.

Judges are looking for pictures that ‘show the dynamic link between environmental and social issues in a way that makes us think differently about the world around us’, and have the following qualities: impact, creativity, originality, composition, relevance and technical quality.

Entry is by online submission and the deadline is on 18 April 2016.

More information can be found at the competition’s website and past winning entries can be found at the CIWEM website.