The Overall Winner of the awards – the 2011 Travel Photographer of the Year - will be given a unique personal showcase within the TPOTY exhibition at the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) in the summer of 2012. The showcase will contain not just their eight TPOTY-winning images but also a selection of their other, non-TPOTY work. This will give them an outstanding opportunity to demonstrate their talents to the large numbers of visitors expected to attend the exhibition in London’s cultural quarter at a time when the Olympic Games will make the city a focus for millions of visitors from around the world.

Spirit of Adventure – The winner of the Spirit of Adventure portfolio category will be awarded an exclusive commission from Cutty Sark Blended Scotch Whisky to shoot a number of photographs in London, Edinburgh and Glasgow. Cutty Sark will use up to 20 of the commissioned images for internal brand education and the winning photographer will be paid a fee of £4,000, with accommodation and transport for the trip being organised and paid for separately by Cutty Sark.

Cultures & Traditions – the winner of this portfolio category will travel to Cambodia on a 13-day tailor-made trip with Explore, the adventure travel experts. During their time in this atmospheric country they will see the temples at Angkor Wat and Siem Reap, the caves at Takeo, take a tour of Phnom Penhn and visit the ‘Killing Fields’.

Exotic – The winner of the Exotic portfolio category will journey to Botswana with Tselana Travel, the luxury tailor-made travel specialists. They will experience a superb safari in the heart of Africa, discovering the Okavango Delta and its breathtaking wildlife. They will go on game drives in open vehicles, enjoy water activities like safaris in Mokoro, and have the chance of some wonderful bird watching. This trip is for two people, so they can take a guest!

The winners of all four portfolio categories also receive Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3 software plus a Lexar Professional 600x 16GB CompactFlash card + Lexar Professional Dual-Slot card reader. And the Runner-Up, Highly Commended and Commended entrants in all four portfolio categories, New Talent and One Shot (Wild Moments), each receive a Lexar Professional 400x 8GB CompactFlash card.

Finally, the winner of the Young Photographers’ Alliance Emerging Talent Award, for the most interesting entry submitted by a photographer aged 25 or under in the New Talent or Young TPOTY categories will be given a place on the YPA mentoring programme. Images can be submitted online or as prints. Full details on how to enter can be found at www.tpoty.com.

How to enter

The awards will be judged by an international panel of imaging experts including travel and photography magazine editors, image buyers and renowned photographers, and are open to amateur and professional photographers from all countries. Images can be submitted as prints or uploaded online. Entries for the 2011 TPOTY awards close on October 9^th 2011. Entry fees start at £10 but Young TPOTY is free to enter. 

Full details of how to enter can be found HERE.