Entries close on 31 March for the RSPB’s Orkney Local Group and Orkney Camera Club year-long photographic competition - “Wild Orkney: The Way I See It”.  And don't forget there are some great prizes!

Photographs can be entered in four categories: Wild Open Spaces; Wonderful Colours of Orkney; Waves and Water; and Wondrous Nature in Detail.

You do not have to be an expert, an RSPB member or a camera club member to have a go - and photographs taken from 1 April 2012 to 31 March 2013 are eligible.

The best photographs will be displayed in an exhibition at the Pickaquoy Centre, Kirkwall during the Orkney Nature Festival from 11 to 19 May. An electronic display of the best entries will also be on show in the entrance to Kirkwall Town Hall.

There will be prizes for the best photographs in three age groups: under-12, 12 to 16 years, and adults (over-16). There will be two winners in each age group: an Orkney resident and a visitor.

The residents’ prizes are - adult: half-day with a wildlife expert chosen by the RSPB plus a pair of Visionary Classic 10x50 binoculars from Focus On Orkney (Sutherland's Photolab); 12 to 16 years: a day's photography masterclass with award-winning film-maker Raymond Besant; under-12: £25 to spend in the RSPB online shop.

The visitors’ prizes are - adult: £25 voucher from The Orcadian for a canvas print of one of your photographs plus a £25 voucher for handcrafted jewellery from Orkney's Alison Moore Designs; 12 to 16 years: £25 to spend via Stromness Books and Prints; under-12: £25 to spend in the RSPB online shop.

Entry forms, containing the rules, are available from the RSPB Scotland office at 12-14 North End Road, Stromness and the Tourist Information Centre in West Castle Street, Kirkwall, or online at www.orkneycommunities.co.uk/orkneycameraclub/.

Entries, which must be prints, can be dropped off at the above venues, or sent by post – clearly labelled Photographic Competition – to RSPB Scotland, 12-14 North End Road, Stromness, KW16 3AG.

Image: Steven Henderson