The Digital Camera Young Photographer of the Year competition is the leading contest for photographers aged 17 and under. It is dedicated to encouraging and revealing new photographic talent and runs alongside the main competition, Digital Camera Photographer of the Year 2010.

The competition is organised by the UK’s best photography title, Digital Camera. You can find out more about the magazine here. Digital Camera is pleased to work in association with Telegraph Media Group, Visit Britain, the Royal Photographic Society, The Photographer’s Gallery and PhotoRadar.com for Young Photographer of the Year 2010. You can find out more about the sponsors here.

This year Young Photographer of the Year is also pleased to be working with the education sector to encourage the use of cameras within the classroom as a tool for delivering a fun and exciting curriculum. There is an Education Pack available to download from the homepage including ready-to-use lesson plans for Key Stages 1 – 4 written by teachers themselves, enabling easy teaching of photography in various areas of the curriculum.

There are three categories to choose from in Young Photographer of the Year – all aged-based – and there are no restrictions on the subjects you choose to shoot. The judges will simply be looking for young photographers who show a good eye for a picture and technical ability. This is a competition that places emphasis on your digital photography skills and creativity rather than your image manipulation abilities.

You can enter up to five images in your category. The submission process is web-based so you’ll be able to view your images and other submissions in your category through this competition website. The competition is open for entries until the 14th of September 2010.

There are three prizes to be won in each category – for the winner and two runners up. The winners of each category, as selected by the panel of judges, will be declared the Digital Camera Young Photographer of the Year 2010 for their age group. Please refer to the Rules section for full terms and conditions.

This is one of the world’s biggest photography competitions and it’s free to enter – we look forward to seeing your pictures.