JULY'S CITIZEN TRAVELLER COMPETITION

This week's winner is Ken Parry from Buckland Ripers in Dorset: “My daughter lives in Sydney, Australia, and I try to see her as often as possible. During one stay I visited Taronga Zoo and was at the giraffe enclosure when I was given the opportunity to take this shot. I was impressed by the juxtaposition of the high-rise animal against the high-rise skyline across the harbour.”

The runner-up was taken by Jon Lane, of Stotfold, Hertfordshire: “This photo was taken in Antigua in November. It is a bananaquit - a common bird there, with a taste for all things sweet and good athletic abilities.”

Beast or skyscraper? Either way, the gangly giraffe in Sydney is this week's winner - for inspiration, composition and comic timing. Catching the thirsty bird, mid-acrobatics, made for a perfect second image. Good timing from both photographers - and for us.

Multimedia

• July 25: this month's third gallery of nominations

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• July 19: this month's second gallery of nominations

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• July 12: this month's first set of nominations

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• Times Travel Picture Editor Lou Siroy's pick of the 20 best entries from January-June

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• June finalists: 20 shortlisted entries

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• May finalists: 20 shortlisted entries

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• April finalists: 20 shortlisted entries

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• March finalists: 20 shortlisted entries

Related Links

• Your travel smugshots

ENTER THE JULY COMPETITION

Send your best shot as a Jpeg attachment to travelpictures@thetimes.co.uk along with your name, location and a few words about the photograph. If you've entered previous competitions select another picture and have another go.

We have been so impressed with your entries that we have teamed up with Metro Imaging to give our weekly winner a 12x16in C-type print. It's time to put your work on the wall. This week, we're seeing things in primary colours - dense blue and rising gold in Antarcitica.

JULY COMPETITION PRIZE

The prize is a 12-night Eastern Mediterranean Fly-Cruise aboard Norwegian Jade for two people.

The prize includes two economy return flights from Heathrow to Barcelona, 12-nights NCL Freestyle Cruising® for two people sharing a twin/double (winner's choice) oceanview stateroom Grade G or higher on a full board basis, return airport transfers in Barcelona, government fees and taxes and current fuel supplements.

Winner must be over 18 and either the winner or winner’s guest must be over 21 at the time of travelling.

The trip must be taken on one of the following sail dates January 4 or 25, February 15, March 8 or 29 and April 10, 2009 . The cruise must be booked by August 29, 2008.

The winner is responsible for all costs and expenses not set out in these terms and conditions and associated with the prize, inlcuding but not limited to UK transfers, shore excursions, drinks, personal expenses, service charges (US$10 per person per day will be added to the winner's on-board account) and for ensuring they and their guest have all necessary documents including valid passports, visas (where applicable) and travel insurance.

Relevant airlines standard conditions of carriage will apply. Full NCL Freestyle Cruising booking conditions apply, see www.ncl.co.uk.

JUNE'S CITIZEN TRAVELLER COMPETITION: THE WINNER

Congratulations to Ollie Blackwell, a researcher for a TV production company, who hired a 4WD and “headed off into the sticks” in Namibia (Photo No 3, June finalists). “This shot of my girlfriend playing with a sparkler under the stars was taken on a 30-second exposure, with the camera resting on a boulder and a baked bean can. I love how well the stars came out. Katie had come across some sparklers that she had left in her rucksack from a festival we had been to a few months back - she sparked one up and this is the picture.”

Comment by Katheen Wyatt, Travel Editor of The Times: "Your artfully executed shot captures a fleeting moment of human mischief under the vast Namibian sky. This late entry made us all want to throw away the house keys and set off."

Runner-up is Graham Love's picture of Zambia in the evening light (No 8 in the June finalists gallery), buzzes with personality and drew us back again and again." Ollie wins a week for two at the InterContinental Aphrodite Hills Resort Hotel in Cyprus.

JULY COMPETITION
Terms and conditions

The competition will run on www.timesonline.co.uk website from June 28, 2008 to noon on July 28, 2008.

Closing date for entries is noon on July 28, 2008

Unless otherwise stated, the competition is open to all residents of the UK and ROI aged 18 or over, except employees of Times Newspapers Limited (“TNL”), NCL and Metro Imaging and their associated, affiliated or subsidiary companies, and their families, agents, or anyone connected with this competition, including the third party promotional partners.

Entry limited to one per person. The winner is responsible for ensuring they are able to accept the prize as set out and in accordance with these terms and conditions, in the event they are unable to do so then the TNL reserves the right to redraw the prize.

Entry is free but entrants should be aware that they may be subject to local call charges depending on their own individual arrangements for Internet access.

An eligible entrant must be an individual and must submit an entry in the form provided by TNL under this promotion including their name, address, telephone number and e-mail address.

By entering, all eligible entrants agree to abide by each and all these terms and conditions. TNL reserves the right, with or without cause, to exclude entrants and withhold prizes for violating any of these terms and conditions. TNL reserves the right to amend these terms and conditions. Any amendments will be published on the Website.

Each entrant must submit one photograph in jpeg format with an explanation detailing when, where and why the photograph was taken in no more than 50 words together with their name, email address and location. Photographs should address the theme “travel”. The photograph should be the entrants own work and should have been taken during 2007/2008. Entrants represent and warrant that they are not professional photographers and that their entry does not infringe the privacy rights, copyright or any other rights of any person. Obscene or inappropriate photographs will not be accepted and TNL reserves the right to reject any photographs for any reason. Prior to submitting a photograph of any identifiable individual, entrants should obtain the consent of such person and advise them of the purpose of the submission and that their photograph may be published by TNL (including in The Times).

The overall winner will be notified by email within seven (7) days from the closing date. All reasonable endeavours will be made to contact the winner during this time. If a winner cannot be contacted or is not available, TNL reserves the right to re-draw another winner from the correct entries which were received before the closing date.

There is one first prize for the entrant whose photograph is selected as the overall winner. There will also be a prize for entrants whose photographs are selected for publication in The Times Travel section as a winner of the week. Winner of the week is subject to editorial discretion and so may not be awarded each week. The winner will be the entrant whose photograph, in the opinion of the judges, demonstrates the greatest flair, technique and originality.

The first prize is a 12-night Eastern Mediterranean Fly-Cruise aboard Norwegian Jade for two people with NCL.

The prize for the “winner of the week” is a 12x16 inch Fine Art Digital C-type print from www.metroimaging.co.uk. The winner will be notified within seven days of their photograph appearing in the paper and the prize will be sent to the address provided by the winner at time of entry.

There is no cash or other alternative to the prize stated and the prize is not transferable and no part or parts of the prize may be substituted for other benefits, items or additions.

The winner may be required to submit valid identification before receiving their prize.

The judge's decision is final and binding on the entrants. No correspondence will be entered into.

TNL will not be liable for technical, hardware, or software failures of any kind or lost or unavailable network connections which may limit or prohibit an eligible entrant's ability to participate in the competition. Other than death or personal injury arising from the acts or omissions of TNL, or their employees, TNL will not be liable for any loss or damage arising out of the winner or their guest’s enjoyment of the prize

By entering, any subsequent prize winners agree to allow the free use of their names, photographs and general locations for publicity and news purposes during this and future promotions by TNL or any associated or subsidiary company of News International Limited.

TNL reserves the right to publish all or parts of entries other than the winning entry, and publication does not necessarily mean that the entrant has won a prize. TNL reserves the right to edit entries in its discretion for publication. Entrants will retain copyright in their submitted entries; however, by entering, all entrants give TNL a worldwide royalty free perpetual licence to edit, publish and use all or segments of each entry in any and all media (including print and online) for publicity and news purposes. In particular, all entrants license TNL the right to print their entry on thetimes online and in print.

Uses of personal data received by TNL in the course of the promotion are subject to the privacy policy found on the Website. Winners' names may be published on the Website.

Completion and submission of a registration slip or e-mail will be deemed acceptance of these terms and conditions.

TNL reserves the right at any time to cancel, modify or supersede the competition (including altering prizes) if, in their sole discretion, a competition is not capable for being conducted as specified. TNL reserves the right to substitute a prize of equal value in the event that circumstances beyond their control make this unavoidable.

The promoter of this prize draw is Times Newspapers Limited (address below)

For a list of winners, please send a stamped envelope to Times Newspapers Limited Competitions Department, 1 Virginia Street, London E98 1RL, stating for which competition you would like winners’ details.

Terms and Conditions printed in The Times/The Sunday Times newspaper or on Times Online form a part of these terms and conditions.

PREVIOUS WINNERS

May

Justin Stokes from London Bridge took the winning image in the May competition (May finalists gallery, picture 17): "It was taken in London in January, at the second hand book market on the South Bank. I spoke to the old man and he was actually on holiday, and trying to see areas of the world he'd never been to while he could. I found him interesting: he didn't seem to have a wife or anyone with him but still content to explore things he'd never seen. The sweet spot of focus that gives this that lovely depth of field lens blur is due to the use of a tilt lens. By blowing up the photo, you can see he is reading an obscure book on WW2."

April winner

The winning picture came from Calum Smail (April 16 gallery, picture 9): “I had wanted to take some pictures of Paris at night, so headed to the Arc de Triomphe before sunset. “After climbing up the hundreds of steps to the top, I was just working my way around when I noticed the cloud sweeping in from the west. It took about five minutes for the cloud and sun to form the dramatic view in the photograph. About a minute later the rain was on top of us and we had to take cover.”

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