THE Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) is launching its Picture It: Your Environment photo competition, as part of the build up to its free, interactive showcase event, Unearthed, in November.

NERC wants people across the UK to submit images that showcase UK environmental science and its importance in everyday life.

The subject of the photo could be wind turbine arrays, beautiful coastlines teeming with aquatic life, or even mould growing around an old window frame.

BBC presenter and geologist Professor Iain Stewart and Fiona Shields, head of photography at the Guardian, will be on the judging panel and help shortlist images in three categories: 11-17 years old, 18 and over and NERC head office and centre staff and NERC-funded academics.

Shortlisted pictures will be enlarged and on display at UnEarthed, NERC’s free, interactive showcase at Dynamic Earth, Edinburgh (17-20 November), where members of the public will vote on the overall winners.

A once-in-a-lifetime experience will be on offer to winners in each category: an invitation to the official naming ceremony of the RRS Sir David Attenborough, NERC’s £200 million, state-of-the-art polar research ship.

Ned Garnett, associate director of research at NERC and a keen amateur photographer, said: "The Picture It: Your Environment photo competition is a brilliant opportunity to showcase the UK’s natural environment and inspire people to think about how environmental science impacts on their daily lives.

“The best of these images will be displayed at Unearthed, our showcase event in Edinburgh, in November, where visitors will vote on their overall favourite. I am really looking forward to seeing all the submissions.”

To enter, visit www.unearthed.ac.uk/photocomp, and share your pictures on social media using #Enviromoment. Entries will close on 13 October 2017, and winners will be announced on 22 November.