Call of the wild: from the deepest ocean to the tallest mountain, the search for the Shell Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2007 has begun.

An imaginative eye, a love for the natural world and a camera are all it takes to enter the Shell Wildlife Photographer of the Year Competition, the world’s longest-running and most prestigious wildlife photographic contest. Entrants stand to win an impressive £10,000 prize if they become the overall individual winner of the Shell Wildlife Photographer of the Year – the highest prize ever offered in this competition. Category winners and runners up will also share in the £12,550 prize pool.

Open to both amateurs and professionals of all ages and nationalities, the competition last year attracted more than 18,000 entries from 55 countries. Entry opens on 20 January 2007 and all images must be submitted by 23 March 2007 (postal) or 30 March 2007 (online) to have a chance of taking home the coveted title of Shell Wildlife Photographer of the Year.

Göran Ehlmé, from Sweden, won the overall title Shell Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2006 for his dramatic image of a walrus whipping up the sediment at the bottom of the sea as it gorged on bivalves. Rick Stanley, from the USA, became the Shell Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2006 with his image of a Hispaniolan treefrog, caught in the jaws of a green vine snake. Any category winner has the chance to carry off the grand title. Categories range from Animal Behaviour and Wild Places to the Underwater World and Urban and Garden Wildlife, and there are three age categories for photographers 17 and under.

Winning photographers not only receive a cash prize, they also see their images featured in a special supplement with the November issue of BBC Wildlife Magazine. The winning images – those considered the most outstanding and memorable of all entries – together with at least 50 commended ones, will go on display at the Natural History Museum, London, from 27 October 2007 before touring the UK and worldwide. They will also feature in a hardback commemorative book by BBC Books.

From 20 January 2007 you will be able to enter online at www.nhm.ac.uk/wildphoto . If you are entering by post, an official entry form must accompany all entries. These will be available in English, German, French and Spanish from the competition website from 20 January and (in English only) in the February issue of BBC Wildlife Magazine (on sale 18 January), or the Shell Wildlife Photographer of the Year Competition Office: The Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD.  Telephone: +44 (0) 20 7942 5015 Fax: +44 (0) 20 7942 5084
Email: wildphoto@nhm.ac.uk  Website: www.nhm.ac.uk/wildphoto