Organisers of the 2024 Shepton Snowdrops Festival have issued a call for entries to their renowned Photography and Poetry Competitions.

The theme this year, 'Nature Unbound,' is a creative challenge to delve into the relationship between the human world, nature, and its recolonisation of landscapes, habitats and abandoned terrains.

The competitions have three age categories, each with a cash prize for the winner: 18 and over will receive £300, ages 12-17 will get £100, and those 11 and under will win £50.

Jason Ingram, the award-winning photographer who was named the Garden Media Guild (GMG) Gordon Rae Photographer of the Year and the GMG Features Photographer of the Year in 2022, will be the judge for the Photography Competition.

Speaking about what he's looking for, Ingram said, "How does nature interact with the human world? It surrounds all of us—a majestic landscape, an arid desert, a beautiful garden, a single tree, a flower. Here's an opportunity to explore the power of nature; how it breaks out to recapture an abandoned building perhaps, or an abandoned terrain. I'll be looking at how people tackle the subject matter but also at composition and use of light. Above all, I want people to enjoy the process and rise to the challenge of seeking out a truly special shot."

For the Poetry Competition, poet and author Wendy Pratt will serve as the judge for the second consecutive year. Pratt's latest poetry collection, 'When I Think of My Body as a Horse', won the Poetry Business Book and Pamphlet award in 2020. On what she's expecting from entries, Pratt commented, "I'm looking for writing that reflects the drive that nature has to just be, no matter where the boundaries lie. I'm looking for innovation of craft and thought. Not just dandelions squeezing through the gaps between paving slabs, what about the re-wilding of rivers, what about the window box encouraging pollinators in a high-rise flat, what about the nightingales singing from the overgrowth of an industrial estate's wasteland. Grow your thoughts, let your poems flourish."

More information can be found on the Shepton Snowdrops Festival website for those interested in entering the competitions.