THE winner and runners-up of this year’s VisitWiltshire photography competition in partnership with Newsquest have been revealed.

This year’s winner is Peter Connell with his image Bratton, Westbury.

Peter lives in Staverton near Trowbridge and has lived in Wiltshire for more than 40 years.

Mr Connell was presented with a £200 gift voucher on Saturday, 16 November provided by competition sponsors Castle Cameras in Salisbury, with runners-up receiving a £50 voucher each.

He said: “Wiltshire has so much to offer that I think I have countless amazing opportunities that everyone else is missing! Hence, every weekend I'll be out there with my camera on the tripod, usually either before dawn or close to sunset to get the best light.

"With regards the winning picture, it was just before 7am in February, just before the sun came over the horizon - often called the "blue hour"; it was a fantastic scene with some mist in the valley and the red sky gradually appearing - and so peaceful!”

The first runner-up is Agnieszkia Kucinska, with her image Barbury Castle, and the second runner-up is Chris Donahue with his image titled Reflection on the Past.

Together with Newsquest, destination manager VisitWiltshire, holds an annual photography competition each year to capture the essence of life in Wiltshire and reflect Wiltshire’s brand positioning.

Entrants were asked to consider key themes, ¬ timeless wonders such as Stonehenge or the Wiltshire White Horses, timeless places like our many market towns and villages, timeless pleasures including shopping destinations and arts and entertainment, and timeless nature like big skies and rolling hills.

Fiona Errington, Marketing Manager at VisitWiltshire, said: “We have been greatly impressed with the high standard of the photos submitted, and it proved a very tough job to narrow them down to a shortlist.

“We are looking forward to featuring as many of the images as possible on our website and within our publications, where they will help inspire visitors to discover the beautiful county of Wiltshire.

“We would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who entered the competition – there was a fantastic variety of images submitted, from atmospheric landscapes and picturesque towns and villages to iconic attractions and beautiful flora and fauna.”

For more information on VisitWiltshire, visit: www.visitwiltshire.co.uk