THE JOURNEY CONTINUES - Travel Photographer of the Year 2005

Entries are open for the 2005 international Travel Photographer of the Year (TPOTY) competition, which once again boasts an outstanding line- up of travel and photography prizes worth over $100,000 - including the most valuable prize package for the overall winner yet offered by TPOTY.

Open to amateur and professional photographers, it features four portfolio categories covering every aspect of travel photography, a Single Image category, and a special Young Travel Photographer competition for those aged 16 and under. The travel prizes include round-the-world air tickets and trips to Nepal, Oman, the Islands of the Bahamas, Mali and the Amazon.

In 2004, photographers from 40 countries rose to the TPOTY challenge.
Rhode Island-based photographer Alexander Nesbitt won the Spirit of Adventure category with a glorious portfolio of images from the Egyptian desert, while his fellow American, Californian Mark Edward Harris, took the honors in the Single Image category, with a stunning black and white shot of children in the Marshall Islands (all these images can be seen in the 2004 winners' section of www.tpoty.com ).

The overall winner, and Travel Photographer of the Year 2004, was Pang Piow Kan, an amateur photographer and retired lecturer from Malaysia, and the young winner was Anna Scott, a very talented 13 year old from the UK. Entrants from Australia, Canada, France, Malaysia, New Zealand and Switzerland also won prizes.

TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR 2005
The photographer who demonstrates the greatest skill, diversity and creativity in two different portfolio categories will earn the prestigious title of Travel Photographer of the Year and the satisfaction of being judged the very best travel photographer in 2005.

The winner and a companion will be able to take the photographic trip of a lifetime with a pair of round the world air tickets from the Star Alliance network, the global network that brings together 16 of the world's finest airlines. Added to this is a superb Hewlett Packard Designjet 130 printer, complete with network kit, roll feed kit, stand and bin, Gretag Macbeth Eye One Display plus a generous supply of A1,
A2 and A3 paper and fade-resistant HP dye-based inks, so that they can produce stunning, long-lasting prints. They also win Adobe® Photoshop® CS and Video Collection so that they can optimize the images they take on their travels, and a beautiful leather portfolio book from Plastic Sandwich made in their own choice of size and format and personalized with their name, allowing them to present their images in the most impressive and professional way.

YOUNG TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR
Photographers aged 16 and under can submit four images on the theme 'World Through My Lens' to demonstrate what travel means to them. It's free to enter and the prizes are fantastic: a top of the range HP Media Center Photosmart PC, a top-spec HP Photosmart digital camera, photo centric scanner and photo printer, a photography masterclass in the Lake District with Light & Land for the winner plus an accompanying adult, and Adobe Creative Suite Premium.

PORTFOLIO CATEGORIES
This year's portfolio category themes are: Human Spirit, Travelers'
Tales, Go Beyond and Natural World.

Human Spirit - four images celebrating every aspect of the world's many and diverse cultures, and the richness that people bring to the travel experience. Prize: the Fujifilm S3 Pro plus lens - the very top of Fujifilm's outstanding range of digital cameras, and the camera that confirmed Fujifilm's status as one of the top three digital SLR makers - and two Fujifilm 4GB memory cards, and a Cultural Odyssey to Nepal for two with The Independent Traveler, plus Adobe Creative Suite Standard. The tour has been entirely designed for photographers, offering an insight into the day to day lives of Nepalese families and incorporating some of the best landscape and wildlife photographic opportunities.

Travellers' Tales - documentary and travel photography are intertwined, so the photographer must tell a story in four images.
Prize: a superb Hasselblad H1 Kit - an H1 camera body, complete with HC 2.8/80mm lens and roll-film magazine - and a two-week trip to Mali on a Journey to Timbuctoo with Guerba. Mali is without doubt the jewel of West Africa, home to a wide range of vibrant cultures, customs, music, historic empires and ancient civilizations. The winner also receives Adobe Creative Suite Standard.

Go Beyond - four images taken off the beaten track. Not just adventure travel, but travel away from and beyond the usual urban or rural tourist destinations. Prize: a custom-built website from TPOTY web builders and design experts Iridius, plus an adventure with a purpose - an expedition to work alongside scientists at the forefront of conservation in Oman with one of Land Rover's conservation partners, Biosphere Expeditions. The winner will also receive a full-day's off- road driving training from Land Rover, to help them access those hard- to-reach locations, plus Adobe Creative Suite Standard.

Natural World - four landscape and wildlife images that really capture the natural world.

Prize: a Mamiya 711 medium format rangefinder camera - the world's smallest and lightest 6x7cm camera - with 80mm lens, and a Sekonic
L-558 light meter, plus an Amazon Heartland expedition for two aboard G.A.P Adventures' legendary Expedition ship The Explorer. The Amazon Basin is the most ecologically diverse region on earth, home to 20 percent of the world's birds, 20 percent of all plants, 10 percent of mammals and thousands of undiscovered species. The winner also receives Adobe Creative Suite Standard.

Runners-up in the four portfolio categories will win a Wacom Intuos3 graphics tablet and a personalized Plastic Sandwich leather portfolio book. Aimed at digital media professionals and high-level pro-sumers, the Intuos3 range combines style with the highest efficiency and features Wacom's patented 'Penabled' technology.

Highly Commended entrants receive either a Billingham Packington camera bag or a Peli 1510 travel case, courtesy of Johnsons Photopia, plus Fujifilm Multijet Inkjet paper. Commended entrants win a hardback copy of Travel Photographer of the Year - Journey Two - plus Fujifilm Multijet Inkjet Paper.

A MOMENT OF FREEDOM
This year's Single Image category is looking for an image that shouts "Freedom." Prize - a trip to the highly photogenic Islands of the Bahamas, and Adobe Creative Suite Standard. The seven night holiday for two will be based on Nassau/Paradise Island and include a one day exploration to one of the Out Islands and the opportunity to swim with dolphins.

The runner-up receives a Plastic Sandwich leather portfolio book, while Highly Commended entrants win Journey One and Two (hardback editions) and Fujifilm Multijet Inkjet Paper, and Commended Entrants win a hardback copy of Journey Two plus Fujifilm Multijet Inkjet Paper.

Entry dates and entry fees

Entries are now open and close on September 9th. Entry costs from UK £5 to enter one portfolio category or four images in Single Image, up to UK £15 to enter every category. There are significant discounts for students and for those aged 65 and over, while entry is completely free for children aged 16 and under.

Full information and entry forms are available from www.tpoty.com or by emailing info@tpoty.com.

A chance to give something back
Entrants have the option to make a charitable donation with their entry fee. The 2004 TPOTY entrants raised UK £500 for charity. This year money will be raised in aid of Sight Savers International and The Tribes Foundation.

Take a Journey
Journey One, the first portfolio book of images from the Travel Photographer of the Year competition (TPOTY), is now available. This beautiful book features over 320 images taken by 164 of the photographers who entered the competition. It includes all the winning entries, the judges' favorite shots and a stunning selection of 'the best of the rest'.

Journey One is a 'must' for everyone who loves good photography and enjoys owning fine books. Priced at UK £25 (plus shipping) for the hardback version and UK £20 (plus shipping) for softback, it can be purchased via www.tpoty.com.