This year's overall winner; Towanroath Engine House. Photographer David Carvey, Cornwall.

The 2010 Coast Path Photo Competition

STOP PRESS: Click here for full details of the 2010 competition and instructions on how to enter.

Over the summer the South West Coast Path Team in association with Devon Life, Cornwall Life, Somerset Life and Dorset magazine, will be running the annual photographic competition to find the best pictures of the wonderful landscapes and wildlife found around our coastline, and of people enjoying being out and about on the Coast Path. With over £3000 of prizes to be won, that include vouchers for photographic equipment, maps, guidebooks and a GPS unit, it is well worth entering.

With over 800 photos, entered by more than 300 photographers in last year's competition, we were amazed by the variety and stunning quality of the pictures received, and thank everyone who took the time and effort to enter.

We would also like to thank our sponsors; Natural England, Ordnance Survey, Garmin, Aurum Press, Cicerone Press and the South West Coast Path Association for contributing such great prizes.

A shortlist of entries can be seen in our Flickr gallery, all of which represent the wide range and excellent quality of pictures taken. Some captured simple pleasures enjoyed along the coast, from dog walking to kite flying, while others focused on the wealth of wildlife and dramatic nature of this ever-changing landscape.

Janette Ward, director of Natural England in the South West, found the standard of entries exceptionally high last year, the second time the competition had been held. It made the task of choosing a winner in each of the four categories, ever more difficult.

Winner of the Heritage category and awarded top prize for the Best Photo overall was David Carvey for his photograph of Towanroath engine house, part of the Cornish Mining World Heritage Site. The photo shows the engine house basking in a ray of sun through stormy clouds, with walkers on the path alongside it and a sprawling coastline stretching far into the distance, with wild waves crashing onto shore.

To view the winners, click on the photos below and the slideshow will start. Click on the 'Show info' tab on the top right to display the captions.

Janette felt this photo to be the outright winner since it contained all the elements associated with the coast path and maintained the principles of good photography.

She said: “We chose David’s photograph, not only as it’s an outstanding picture but also because it epitomises the South West Coast Path. It captures the essence of everything that the path represents, from the region’s industrial heritage to the varied nature of the coastline, where land meets the sea. The path is a regional icon and the UK’s longest and most popular National Trail. All the photos in the competition show why the people living here can be proud and why visitors return year after year. It’s an inspirational landscape that provides a sense of escape to all who experience it, in all seasons and weather conditions.”

On receiving the news of his winning entry, the photographer David said: "I was surprised and delighted to learn that my photograph was selected as the winner of the Heritage category and had been placed Best Overall. After viewing the shortlist I am indeed honoured to have been chosen from so many excellent entries. The South West Coast Path often features in my photography and provides a constant source of inspiration for its impressive landscape and beautiful scenery. My thanks go to all at the South West Coast Path Team for their hard work in organising the competition and for giving me the opportunity to showcase my work.”

Winner of the Young Photographers category was a photograph entitled ‘Underfoot Forests’ by Sara Elen Davies, 15, from Worcestershire. Taken at Hell's mouth, near Hayle, she describes the picture as the “coast path from a spider’s point of view”. It shows the thrift that grows alongside it, looking up from the ground towards the sky.

Landscape and Nature winner was Mark Pike from Dorset for his close-up photograph of a large skipper taken at Ballard Down, near Swanage Dorset. ‘Climbing up out of Mullion Cove’ in Cornwall, taken by John Lacey of Bromsgrove, won the People category for its depiction of a group of walkers reaching the top of the steep hill, silhouetted against the sky.

Alongside the winning photographs, another 12 images were chosen for a 2011 calendar. Some of the images were category winners, while others were selected for capturing great landscapes. Each month, a different stretch of the South West Coast Path is shown, to represent the entire 630 mile trail around the coast of Devon, Cornwall and Dorset, passing through Exmoor National Park, five Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and two World Heritage Sites. This calendar will be on sale this Summer.

To view all the winners and shortlisted entries on our Flickr page click here.

For media enquiries contact Alex Green, South West Coast Path Team Communications Officer.

Click here for full details of the 2010 competition and instructions on how to enter.