THE British Red Cross has partnered with the imaging specialist Canon to launch a photography competition for young people in the UK.

The competition marks the Red Cross’ 10th anniversary of the Humanitarian Citizenship Awards which celebrate the extraordinary contributions that young people make in helping others across Britain.

Competition winners will be offered some fabulous prizes from Canon. The British Red Cross is accepting entries at redcross.org.uk/youngphotographer until July 27.

Robin Wells, youth development co-ordinator at the British Red Cross, said: “The Red Cross is committed to helping people in crisis and this competition is part of our Humanitarian Citizen Awards, which recognise the heroic acts that young people, under-26, perform in their communities.

“Our competition theme this year is: What makes a hero? It is both simple and very open, so you can really let your imagination go wild. As to what you actually photograph, that’s a blank canvas. It might be a person, a group, a statue, a book, a picture, a landscape, an elephant... The possibilities are endless. However, it’s worth remembering that sometimes it’s possible to spot the heroic in everyday things,” Robin explained.

There are two age categories, 17 and under, and 18 to 25. The overall winners in both categories will each receive a Canon EOS 700D with an 18-135mm lens worth £800. Four runners-up will find themselves clicking away with a Canon PowerShot G16 worth £450.

Hasse Iwarsson, managing irector, Canon UK & Ireland, said: “We’re delighted to be supporting the British Red Cross with this photography competition. Canon Europe has been sponsoring the Humanitarian Citizen Awards since 2005 and with the awards now in their tenth year, it’s extremely exciting to see how this competition will encourage budding photographers to explore how images can help tell a truly inspirational story.”

For more information on the competition, visit: redcross.org.uk/youngphotographer