Budding nature photographers are being encouraged to enter a new Hertfordshire wildlife photography competition with £300 worth of prizes to be won.

To mark World Photography Day 2020 today (Wednesday, August 19), Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust (HMWT) has launched photography contest ‘Wild Snaps’.

The new photography challenge will showcase the best wildlife of Hertfordshire and Middlesex.

Entries are open until September 13, after which the winner will be chosen by a public vote.

Frieda Rummenhohl, Herts & Middlesex Wildlife Trust’s communications officer, said: “Photography is a great way to get in touch with nature and we want to encourage more people to get outside, discover wildlife and get snapping.

“We love to see the photos that our supporters have taken so we designed this competition to help showcase some of the fantastic wild places that can be found across Hertfordshire and Middlesex.”

The competition invites hobby photographers across the region to submit their best wildlife images.

The winning photo will be featured in Wildlife Matters, HMWT’s membership magazine.

The winner will also receive a £300 voucher for wildlife watching equipment, kindly sponsored by Opticron.

Two runners-up will each receiving a £100 Opticron voucher.

The competition entries will be shortlisted, and the selected images will then be put to a public vote from September 15 to September 30.

Everyone who votes will be eligible to enter a prize draw to win an exclusive one-on-one Smartphone Safari, a smartphone photography masterclass, kindly sponsored by Jet Black Squares.

Wildlife filmmaker Russell Savory endorses the contest.

“As a professional wildlife photographer and filmmaker, Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust and the work they do are very close to my heart and I would like to encourage every budding photographer to quite literally take a shot and take part in this fantastic competition.”

The competition is open from August 19 to September 13 and the winner will be announced in October.

For a full list of competition rules and to enter your images, visit hertswildlifetrust.org.uk/wildsnaps.

Based in St Albans, Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust is the leading voice for wildlife conservation in Hertfordshire and neighbouring areas.