Thursday 5 May 2011
NATIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY COMPETITION SEEKS EAST OF ENGLAND’S FINEST RAIL VIEWS
- Region & Route:
- | Eastern: Anglia
- | Eastern
The search to find the best photography of the British landscape and that of the rail network is on. With entry now open for the Take a view - Landscape Photographer of the Year Awards 2011, photographers in the east of England are being encouraged to showcase the best sights the region has to offer.
For the second year, Network Rail is supporting this national competition where amateurs and professional photographers can showcase the very best imagery of Britain’s beautiful rural and urban scenery and compete for the top prize of £10,000. The competition, now in its fifth year, is the idea of renowned landscape photographer, Charlie Waite, and the best images will be showcased at an exhibition at the National Theatre in London.
The winner of the 2010 award was Chris Howe from Hitchin in Hertfordshire with a photograph of a speeding train going through Grindleford station in the Peak District.
An additional prize will be given for the best photography of Britain’s rail network – The Network Rail ‘Lines in the Landscape’ Special Award. The winner will receive a weekend break and a guided tour of the Severn Rail Tunnel’s Sudbrook Pumping Station, including travelling down the 180ft lift shaft to the complex of underground culverts, sub-tunnels where you can safely observe the trains as they pass.
David Higgins, Network Rail chief executive, said: “Every day for over a century the railway has helped people travel across the length and breadth of Britain. Those journeys can take people across spectacular structures such as the Forth Bridge and Ribblehead viaduct and where people can experience truly amazing views of the countryside and our cities.
“Network Rail has the special duty of protecting and promoting this legacy as well as building a modern rail network for the 21st century. We are proud to continue to support this competition, and even more so to have a special award for the best photography of our rail network. Travelling by rail is becoming ever more popular, and we hope that, through this competition, even more people will recognise its importance in Britain today.”
Awards founder Charlie Waite added: “Train travel really is one of my favourite things. The longer journeys give you time to think and reflect, very like the quiet time that you can experience when creating a photograph. The ever-changing and inspirational views from the window provide the perfect break from daily life and the constant maintenance needed to keep the infrastructure in good repair is easy to forget. Looking through the railway images last year was a great pleasure and I am really looking forward to seeing this year’s entries.”
Notes to editors
Entrants have until midday on the 15th July to enter the 2011 award by submitting their photographs of the British landscape. The competition is open to everyone and, for the first time this year, you can enter up to 25 photographs across the four categories. There is an exciting prize fund worth £20,000, including £10,000 for the overall winner. There is also a special class for those under 16.
All entries to the award must be uploaded via the competition website, www.take-a-view.co.uk and the closing date is 15th July 2011. Entry fees apply. Full terms and conditions can be found on the site.
The exhibition of the winning and commended entries will be on show at the National Theatre in London from 5th December 2011 and will also appear in a coffee table book.
Photos
Please note that all images supplied by Network Rail on behalf of Take a view remain the copyright of their respective photographers. They may only be used for press/promotional purposes in direct connection with the Take a view - Landscape Photographer of the Year Awards and must be credited.
The attached file is sized to print at approx A5 @ 300ppi.
The prize
The prize for the Network Rail ‘Lines in the Landscape’ Award will be a unique opportunity for the winner + one guest to visit the Severn Rail Tunnel’s Sudbrook Pumping Station. This historic station was built to pump water from the tunnel, including that from the Great Spring, which was discovered during tunnel construction in the late 19th century. The pumps now remove an average of 15 million gallons of water each day. The winner will receive special guided tour of the facility (not open to the general public) including travelling down the 180ft lift shaft to the complex of underground culverts, sub-tunnels where you can safely observe the trains as they pass.
The trip will include first class rail travel to Bristol/South Wales from within the UK and accommodation in twin/double room on a Saturday night. (Date restrictions apply depending on availability. The trip may not be taken on Bank/Public Holidays and must be taken by 30th June 2011). Meals and transport to & from stations are not included. The Severn Rail Tunnel’s Sudbrook Pumping Station Tour will be provided by Network Rail and the travel and accommodation by Take a view.
If the winning image is from a ‘youth’ category, the prize will be arranged via the winning photographer’s parent/guardian.
Contact information
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03457 11 41 41
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Journalists
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020 3357 7969
southeastroutecomms@networkrail.co.uk
About Network Rail
We own, operate and develop Britain's railway infrastructure; that's 20,000 miles of track, 30,000 bridges, tunnels and viaducts and the thousands of signals, level crossings and stations. We run 20 of the UK's largest stations while all the others, over 2,500, are run by the country's train operating companies.
Usually, there are almost five million journeys made in the UK and over 600 freight trains run on the network. People depend on Britain's railway for their daily commute, to visit friends and loved ones and to get them home safe every day. Our role is to deliver a safe and reliable railway, so we carefully manage and deliver thousands of projects every year that form part of the multi-billion pound Railway Upgrade Plan, to grow and expand the nation's railway network to respond to the tremendous growth and demand the railway has experienced - a doubling of passenger journeys over the past 20 years.
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