PHOTOGRAPHERS, charge your batteries and check your lenses. It’s time once again for the River Medway Photo Competition.

Now in its second year, the river-long competition has been organised by the Medway Valley Countryside Partnership, the Valley of Visions Landscape Partnership Scheme and the Medway Swale Estuary Partnership.

Each partnership covers a different stretch of the river, and each stretch has its own unique character. This competition is therefore offering first, second and third place prizes for winning pictures in each area.

In the central section, Allington Lock to the M2 bridge, there are two categories, one for pictures that capture the river, the second for pictures of the surrounding landscape.

The organisers of the ‘Your River’ competition are looking for great shots of the River Medway, its surrounding landscape, people or wildlife.

Entries are being sought in four geographical areas, each in two age groups.

On offer are some great prizes. The eight first-placed winners will be offered the chance to go on a live photo-shoot and coaching session with Manu Palomeque, the chief photographer for Kent Life Magazine.

There will also be prizes of £50 and £25 of photography vouchers for second and third places in all the categories.

The four themes are

1) Tonbridge to Allington

2) Allington Lock to M2 bridge: River Medway

3) Allington Lock to M2 bridge: valley sides

4) M2 bridge to the sea

There are two age categories: under 18 and over 18.

The deadline for entries is September 20, 2008, with the winners announced in October.

Entrants agree for their images to be reprinted in the Kent Messenger and its sister publications and on our websites.

Entries can be submitted via email to cmp@kent.gov.uk or by post to MVCP, 3 Lock Cottages, Lock Lane, Sandling, Maidstone, Kent, ME14 3AU. Each entry must be accompanied by an entry form. Additional forms can be downloaded from www.medwayvalley.org or www.valleyofvisions.org.uk