Take a winning travel picture

Do you think your photos are a cut above the stuff of holiday albums? We've got together with Insight Guides to offer the chance to win a commission to shoot one of its travel books. All you have to do is offer three images on the theme of 'water'

Can you take a great travel photograph? If you think you can, don't miss the chance to enter the 'IoS'/Insight Guides travel photography competition. The winner will receive a professional commission from Insight Guides to take photographs for one of its prestigious travel guides. The commission could even pave the way to a new and exciting career in travel photography.

We are looking to reward photographers who not only provide top-quality, outstanding images but who also manage to capture the essence of a destination. We are looking for a great photograph that comes under the theme of "water". The competition is open to any UK-based photographer, professional or amateur.

The first prize is a unique commission, worth £3,000, to photograph a travel destination for a future Insight Guide. Second and third prizes will be £1,000 and £500 worth of photographic equipment.

The winner of last year's 'IoS'/Insight Guides travel photography competition was Rob Purcell, a lecturer in cultural and social theory at Glasgow University. He will be shooting pictures for an upcoming Insight guide book. The previous year's winner, Douglas McGilviray, sadly passed away before his pictures could be published in a recent Edinburgh guide.

For more than 35 years, Insight Guides (insightguides.com) have produced the world's leading visual travel guides and are renowned for their evocative photography and informative text.

The competition judges are: Steven Lawrence, picture editor, Insight Guides; Peter Noble, a former trustee of the Royal Photographic Society; and Sophie Batterbury, picture editor of 'The Independent on Sunday'.

Entrants have until Friday 12 September 2008 to submit their photographs and the winner will be announced in the travel pages of 'The Independent on Sunday' shortly afterwards with the winning photographic portfolio. The prizes will be presented at an event held on 29 October 2008 at Stanfords bookshop in London.

All entrants must provide three colour photographs which must not have previously been entered for any other photography competition. Entries can be sent digitally as high-resolution jpegs to a minimum of 3MB at 300dpi and a maximum of 15MB at 300dpi, emailed individually or as a group of three - click here to email. Alternatively, they can be sent as prints no bigger than 10in x 8in to: Photography Prize, APA Publications, 58 Borough High Street, London SE1 1XF. Please note that entries cannot be returned, so do not send original prints. All entries must be clearly labelled with entrants' name, address, email address and date of birth (entrants must be over 18).

The publisher of the Insight Guides is APA Publications GmbH & Co Verlag KG (Singapore Branch) of 38 Joo Koon Road, Singapore 628990.

Reader offer

Get inspiration for water-themed images from the new edition of the 'Insight Guide to Norway', price £14.99. To order this book at the discounted price of £12.75 (free p&p in the UK), contact Independent Books Direct on 0870 079 8897 or at independentbooksdirect.co.uk).