Nature photographers are being urged to take pictures that best sum up what the value of East Anglia’s natural environment means to them.
The call has come from the organisers of a new photography competition that is seeking to engage people with the idea of ‘natural capital’ - an approach to valuing natural assets, which is at the heart of the Government’s environmental policy for the next 25 years.
The competition has been organised by the team involved with the Suffolk Marine Pioneer project, part of the team at Suffolk Coast & Heaths Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).
Suffolk Marine Pioneer manager Peter Cosgrove, said: “The natural environment has progressively declined over the past 70 years - the problem is that communicating this issue is really difficult.
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“I can’t tell you why you should care for nature because only you know why it matters to you. The Suffolk Marine Pioneer wants us all to recognise the value of nature. But just what is the value of nature?”
He added: “We are inviting people to take part in our ‘Nature’s value’ photography competition to help us communicate why the natural environment is important to us. The old adage that a picture paints a thousand words has never been more appropriate and we invite you to paint that picture for all of us.”
The competition is open to people across East Anglia aged 18 years and over. Each person can submit 10 photographs but every image must include a caption or poem that explains how the picture demonstrates the value of nature.
The competition is being supported by Festival Republic, Adnams, Moreton Hall Health Club, The National Trust, Suffolk Wildlife Trust, ZSEA and Photography Printing.co.uk.
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There are four competition categories: ‘Provisions’, ‘Supporting Us’, ‘Enjoying the Natural World’ and ‘Natural Processes’ and prizes for the winners, as judged by a panel, include two VIP tickets to Latitude Festival, afternoon tea for four at Adnam’s Swan hotel in Southwold, plus a year’s subscription to Moreton Hall Heath Club’s floatation tanks, Banham Zoo and National Trust membership.
A public exhibition of some of the best images is planned for the summer.
Closing date for the competition is May 13 2019. More more information and to enter visit: www.suffolkcoastandheaths.org/projects-and-partnerships/suffolk-marine-pioneer/photography-submission-form/
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