2020 National Trust Handbook photography competition

For the fourth year running, the National Trust launched a search to find a photograph to adorn the cover of its 2020 Handbook, which is now seen by over 5 million members. 2020 also marks the conservation charity's 125th anniversary.

Both amateur and professional photographers were encouraged to enter the competition, which had as its theme 'places that make you feel good'. Entries to the competition ranged from the awe-inspiring grandure of Winnats Pass in Derbyshire to the simple joy of a sunny afternoon spent exploring the gardens at Tyntesfield, Bristol.

We can now reveal the winner of the 2020 National Trust Handbook photography competition. Les Lockhart's striking image of the evening light at Newtown, Isle of Wight, was chosen from thousands of submissions to star on the cover of the 2020 Handbook.

14 other photos made it to the final shortlist, fulfilling the competition's theme of 'places that make you feel good'. The images needed to reflect the impact that the beautiful locations have on people's well-being, and the work that the conservation charity does to care for these special places.

The winner was chosen by a panel of five judges including naturalist, presenter, wildlife cameraman, and Honorary Fellow of the Royal Photographic Society, Simon King:

'Les's photo stood out because of the beautiful composition, with the wooden walkway drawing the eye in and giving that combination of the gentle touch of man in a wild landscape' said Simon.

'It captures a moment in light that is ephemeral, but entirely possible for anyone to witness if they spend time in a place like this.'

Full details of the competition can be found at   www.nationaltrust.org.uk/photography-competition.

Other competitions

The National Trust welcomes amateur photography at its properties. There are many photographic competitions held within the UK that you are entitled to enter using photographs you have taken on National Trust land. In general we encourage photographers to enter their work but entering competitions that insist you, as an entrant, sign over your rights are not allowed. Therefore, if you are in any doubt about the validity of entering images please contact images@nationaltrust.org.uk and we'll assess the terms of entry to check they comply with our policies.