A dramatic shot of Corfe Castle has scooped
first prize national landscape photography competition.
The winning image, taken by local
photographer Antony Spencer, shows the ruined castle on a frosty winter’s
morning.
Mr Spencer, who has a gallery in Dorset’s
West Bay, took home £10,000 in prize money after being named Landscape
Photographer of the Year.
The awards, which are now in their fourth
year, are held in association with Natural England and Network Rail.
Helen Phillips, Natural England’s chief
executive, said: “The awards are a reminder of how valuable our landscapes
are and how important it is that we look after them.”
Works referencing a bygone era also found
favour in the awards’ other categories – the Young Landscape Photographer of
the Year prize went to 16-year-old Taliesin Coombes for his shot of a steam
train leaving Cardiff station.
More than 100 of the competition’s best
images will be on display at the National Theatre from November 22, and a book
featuring a selection of the entries is due to be published on October 31.