We are delighted to reveal the winners of the 2019 ‘Love your Lakes’ photo competition which ran from May to September, receiving over 180 entries.

The competition, now in its seventh year, encourages people of all ages to make the most of the fantastic photo opportunities at their lakes across Devon, Cornwall, West Somerset and Dorset. The lakes of the South West are popular among amateur and professional photographers alike, providing a unique combination of beautiful landscapes, high-adrenalin activities and rich flora and fauna.

The winning entries reflect the essence of their respective categories, which represent four of the five campaign themes that underpin the work of South West Lakes Trust: Active Outdoors, Discovering Local Culture, Love your Lakes and Play and Explore. All photos were taken at one of South West Lakes Trust’s sites.

The competition was judged by Andy Parsons, Chief Executive of South West Lakes Trust, Dan Jones, Head of Corporate Communications for Pennon Group, and renowned professional news and sport photographer Richard Austin.

First prize across all categories was awarded to Julia Amies-Green, for her striking photograph ‘Early Morning Exploring’, which shows two people canoeing on Wimbleball Lake.

Erik Tolboom won first prize in the Active Outdoors category with his atmospheric photo, ‘Boats at Roadford Lake’, while Mark Tolboom won first prize in the Discovering Local Culture category with a stunning night sky view of the starscape above Meldon Reservoir. Sam Hussey’s photograph of the Kennick landscape achieved first prize in the popular Love your Lakes category, and Tara Busby-Price won first place in the Play and Explore category for her dynamic photo of children playing at Burrator, perfectly capturing the meaning behind the category.

Active Outdoors

1^st prize: Erik Tolboom, ‘Boats at Roadford Lake’

2^nd prize: Josh Maddison, ‘Reservoir Rumination’, Kennick

3^rd prize: Keir Beeson, ‘Paddlers’, Roadford Lake

Discovering Local Culture

1^st prize: Mark Tolboom, ‘Meldon Starscape’

2^nd prize: Pete Grant, ‘Evening Reflections’, Roadford Lake

3^rd prize: Barrie Smith, ‘Calm before the Storm’, Wimbleball Lake

Love your Lakes

1^st prize: Sam Hussey, Kennick

2^nd prize: Hudson Swan, ‘Sentinels of the Past’, Colliford Lake

3^rd prize: Peter Morrison, ‘Sunset over Trenchford’

Play and Explore

1^st prize: Tara Busby-Price, ‘Leaf it Out’, Burrator

2^nd prize: Julia Amies-Green, ‘Early Morning Exploring’, Wimbleball

3^rd prize: Vicki Chappell, Wimbleball

Public Vote Winner

£50 was awarded to Christian Lawson for his photograph of Longham Lakes which received the most public votes.

The winning photos from this year’s competition will feature in a calendar which will be sent to members of the new Friends of South West Lakes scheme, and will be available to purchase from Roadford Lake towards the end of the year. Photos will also be displayed from December to the end of January at Roadford Café and Venue.