Tweed Forum wants to be put in picture for fundraising calendar

More than £800 in prize money is on offer to photographers able to come up with eye-catching images of the River Tweed worthy of taking up wall space for weeks at a time.
From left, Tweed Forum director Luke Comins, Ahlstrom Munksjos Stephen Monks and the Southern Reporters Kathryn Wylie launching the contest in the Tweed near Melrose.From left, Tweed Forum director Luke Comins, Ahlstrom Munksjos Stephen Monks and the Southern Reporters Kathryn Wylie launching the contest in the Tweed near Melrose.
From left, Tweed Forum director Luke Comins, Ahlstrom Munksjos Stephen Monks and the Southern Reporters Kathryn Wylie launching the contest in the Tweed near Melrose.

The Tweed Forum, backed by the Southern Reporter and Chirnside paper products firm Ahlstrom Munksjo, is running a photography competition intended to yield pictures for a charity calendar.

The competition has three categories – for children under 16, amateurs aged 16 upwards and professionals.

Luke, Stephen and Kathryn show how it's done.Luke, Stephen and Kathryn show how it's done.
Luke, Stephen and Kathryn show how it's done.
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The winners of those categories will be given prize money of £200 apiece.

A dozen images will be chosen for the 2020 calendar, and those responsible for each of them will be given a £20 gift voucher and a copy of the finished product.

Entries should be colour digital images in landscape format and high resolution.

The forum is hoping to be sent images of the 97-mile-long river in all four seasons to illustrate pages for the corresponding months of the year.

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Photographs submitted could show people at work or play on the river, feature some of its wildlife or simply capture its beauty.

The competition’s deadline is April 5 next year, and entrants must live or work in the Borders or north Northumberland.

The calendar will go on sale next summer to raise funds for forum projects such as restoring wildlife habitats, creating footpaths, flood prevention and fishery enhancement.

Forum director Luke Comins said: “As well as raising funds for our work, this calendar aims to show the incredible beauty of the River Tweed and to highlight the importance of protecting and enhancing the environment around it.

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“We know there are some amazing amateur and professional photographers in the region and are hoping they will help us to create a stunning collection of images that can be enjoyed by local people and by visitors to the region and will showcase one of the Borders’ most important assets.”

Ahlstrom Munksjo director Stephen Monks said; “Our factory is situated by the River Whiteadder, a tributary of the Tweed, and we are well aware of the importance of looking after this beautiful river network for current and future generations.

“We’re delighted to be lending our support to the Tweed Forum for this fantastic project and look forward to seeing the great images we know the public will produce.”

Southern Reporter editor Darin Hutson added: “The quality and quantity of entries we get for the picture of the week slot on our letters pages prove that there is no shortage of photographic talent in the Borders, so this competition is sure to attract plenty of interest too.

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“The Tweed stretches for almost 100 miles, from Berwick inland to Tweedsmuir, and there is an abundance of features of interest along that distance, so it offers plenty of potential for images worthy of taking up prominent places on Borderers’ walls for a month at a time, as I’m sure we’ll see come next April.”

Go to www.tweedforum.org/photo_competition for details.

The forum adds that care should be taken when taking photographs near the river, with children always to be accompanied by an adult, and no wildlife should be disturbed.