PHOTOGRAPHY fans are being asked to focus on their favourite places for a new competition.

Tourism body Experience Oxfordshire is teaming up with the Oxford Mail to judge pictures from readers taken throughout the county – from the dreaming spires to picturesque stone villages and the stunning beauty of the Downs or the Chilterns.

Whether it’s a shot using a classic Hasselblad camera, or just simply capturing a great view with your mobile phone, you can enter the Why I Love Oxfordshire competition to win a range of different prizes.

The event, which is open to entries from today until March 5, coincides with English Tourism Week, an annual celebration of tourism countrywide.

Martin Walker, Experience Oxfordshire head of marketing and development, said he hoped some “hidden gems” in parts of the county could be revealed.

He added: “We really want people living in the county to showcase the whole of Oxfordshire and give people from outside an idea of what is on offer.

“It’s a good thing for people to take and share photos of their favourite places, whether that is the dreaming spires or the iconic buildings in the centre of Oxford or a part of the county that has never really been photographed.

“People could find some real hidden gems that tourists may not have heard of before. It’s easy to enter and we are currently collating the prizes from our partners that will be given to the winners.”

Why I love Oxfordshire is the first of its kind and two Oxford Mail photographers will be on the panel of judges. Chief photographer Ed Nix, who has been capturing images of the county for the newspaper for 17 years, said he was looking forward to seeing what readers come up with. He said: “I think we will see a mixture of the classic Oxford spires, buildings and bridges, but also some other quirky pictures.

“Anyone can enter and you don’t need a really expensive camera. I’m looking for something unusual, out of the ordinary.

“Experience Oxfordshire came up with the idea and asked us to be a part of it. If anyone has a picture they want to send in, feel free. We will also be putting them on our Instagram account so we want to know about the people behind the photo and why they think it could be a winner.”

* Email your pictures to marketing@experienceoxfordshire.org with your name, age and telephone number.