Princess Cruises Escapes Press Release 31/05/04

This summer sees the return of the Princess Cruises Escapes Travel Photography Awards - the biggest professional and amateur travel photography competition in the UK.

Following the huge success of last year’s inaugural competition which received over 5,000 entries, the Princess Cruises Escapes Travel Photography Awards are once again calling for members of the public to enter the cream of their travel photography for the chance of winning either a luxury Mediterranean cruise on one of Princess Cruises grand class ships (amateur category) or £10,000 cash (professional category).

Photographs can be entered under one of 5 categories - Land-scapes, Sea-scapes, City-scapes and Sport-scapes, a new category for 2004 which will capitalise on the wealth of exciting sporting events that are taking place around the world this year.  Also returning this year is the popular ?E-scapes? category in which photographers are asked to capture the emotion of travelling as opposed to the destination itself.  This may be by using people to communicate the culture of a country or capturing a particular scene that really tells a story of a place.

The photographs will be judged by top names in travel and photography, including the editor of Sunday Times Travel Magazine, Jane Knight, and Press Association head of pictures Martin Keene.

Carol Marlow, UK director, Princess Cruises said: ?We were delighted by the response to the first Escapes competition last year. Not only was the quality of the pictures superb, but the variety of shots was fascinating.  Last year?s winning photographs included everything from cows in Kansas to row-boats in the Caribbean - I look forward to seeing what 2004 will bring!?
Ms Marlow continues: ?Our aim is for the Princess Cruises Escapes Travel Photography Awards to become the leading honours in the industry. Our judging panel this year is made up of some of the most eminent travel and photography experts and the prizes on offer are second to none, offering a unique opportunity for both members of the public and professional photographers alike.?

Martin Keene, head of pictures at the Press Association and Escapes judge, says: ?I am happy to be returning to the Escapes judging panel this year.  2003?s competition showed just how seriously we Brits take our travel photography and what an essential part of exploring the world it is to us.  The range of photographs received also proved that the nation?s taste in travelling is growing more diverse and more adventurous. The Princess Cruises Escapes Travel Photography Awards are a fantastic chance to share these travel experiences with a wider audience.?

To enter the Princess Cruises Escapes Travel Photography Awards please call 0845 120 3773, email [email protected] or visit www.princesscruises.co.uk/escapes to obtain an entry form.  Entries should be sent to Escapes Travel Photography Awards, PO Box 22, Abingdon, OX14 4SP before 5.30pm Friday 3rd September.  Alternatively, those with scanning/digital photography facilities and access to the internet can upload their photographs for consideration at www/princesscruises.co.uk/escapes.

The five categories are classified as follows:

- Land-scapes - shots of ?landscapes? of any description (countryside/terrain-orientated, from anywhere in the world, unlikely to have people or buildings as focus )

- Sea-scapes - shots of ?seascapes? whether they be from above or below surface, from land or sea, of weather at sea, of sea-creatures in their natural habitat, of humans at play etc

- City-scapes - shots which are representative of the chosen city or which visually illustrate it, an element of it, its people or its/their character accurately

- Sport-scapes ? shots that not only feature one of the major sporting events that are happening around the world in 2004, but also capture something of the city or country where they are taking place.

- E-scapes - shots featuring the emotion of escaping through travel i.e. a much more ?people? orientated category which could be taken anywhere, land, sea, air, any country or city; this category is about people and culture? the emotion of what the holiday means to the individual captured in the shot or simply a person who seems to encapsulate the whole culture of the country being seen

In the amateur section a winner will be named in each category receiving a Mediterranean cruise for two people worth approx ?5,000. Five runners-up (one for each category) will take home top of the range Hewlett-Packard digital photography equipment. An overall winner will also be crowned Princess Escapes Amateur Travel Photographer of the Year. In the Professional section one winner will be named Princess Escapes Professional Travel Photographer of the Year and will win ?10,000 cash.