Google are searching for the perfect picture

By Laura Davis

Google have launched a photography competition where the top six winners will get to have their work exhibited at the Saatchi Gallery.

Over 3,500 students entered and yesterday Google announced the 36 shortlisted candidates for the Google Photography Prize - including 11 finalists from the UK. Students from 82 countries entered, including Australia, India, Moldova, Poland, Ghana, Peru, Mexico the US, the UK and Saudi Arabia.

The six contestants with the highest number of votes will be flown to London for the opening night of an exhibition of their work, and the ultimate winner will be decided by a panel of art critics and artists, including Idris Khan, Martin Parr, Michael Hoppen, Susanna Brown, Tim Marlow and Mariella Frostrup.

The competition aims to find talented student photographers and give them unprecedented online and offline exposure. The six winning submissions will be available for all Google users to display on their personalised iGoogle homepages. The overall winner will also receive £5,000 and an invitation to spend a day with renowned photographer Martin Parr.

The shortlist of the thirty-six top entries is now open to an online public vote, visit http://www.google.com/photographyprize to cast your vote.

Click the image to the right to launch the photos from the finalists