The annual ‘24 Hours in Bristol’ photo-marathon competition, which sees 10,000 photographs taken in a single day, is back at the end of September, with £5,000 of prizes

The 24 hour event to capture a day in the life of the city will run from 12.00pm Saturday September 30 to 12.00pm Sunday October 1.

The popular photo competition, which results in stunning photographs of Bristol, is now in its fifth year. The 2017 event will have a new, inclusive format and will be for images taken with smartphones and tablets only.

Competition registration is now open. Anyone who would like to enter is advised to register as soon as possible at the website, as entry numbers will be limited.

As over 80% of the UK population now owns a smartphone, the new event format will open up the competition to everyone, without having to own a traditional camera. The competition has also been widened to include a new prize category for 13-17 year olds to encourage budding young snappers to capture a day in the life of young Bristolians.

The Mayor of Bristol, Marvin Rees, one the 2017 competition judges, said: “I’m excited to be on this year’s judging panel and look forward to seeing how the new guidelines on smart phones will encourage more people to take part across the city”.

Other 2017 judges include Dr Shawn Sobers, Associate Professor of Lens Based Media at UWE Bristol; Ali Vowles, BBC Points West presenter; Martin Booth, Editor of Bristol24/7; John Hirst, Chief Executive of Destination Bristol; Michaela Strachan, BBC wildlife presenter; Andy Butler, founder of the Mobiography website and Mark Tipping, award winning smartphone photographer.

Last year’s competition was won by Bath photographer Paolo Ferla, with his atmospheric night time image of the Clifton Suspension Bridge. This year the event organisers are looking for images that reflect life in communities across Bristol, as well as the historic city centre.

The 24 hour ‘snap-athon’ is expected to attract hundreds of entrants of all ages from across the South West and beyond. Two competitors from Bristol’s twinned city of Oporto in Portugal will flying in to Bristol to take part and a photographer from Bristol’s twinned city of Puerto Morazan in Nicaragua has already confirmed her entry.

In a unique twist on other photo competitions, entrants are randomly allocated a specific hour of the 24-hour competition in which they must take at least one entry photo. This gives a fun, added challenge and ensures 24 hour coverage of Bristol at work, rest and play. Up to 5 additional images taken at any time of the competition can also be entered.

Mike Porter, Managing Director of 24 Hours in Our City, said: “Our new inclusive Smartphone format will give all Bristolians the chance to record 24 hours in the life of this great city. Thousands of images of Bristol are taken every day, but remain trapped in people’s phones. We aim to set the creative heart of Bristol free!”

Contestants will have two days to upload their photos onto the event website for judging.

With over £5,000 of prizes on offer, including an overall first prize worth £2,000, one of the world’s largest prizes for a mobile photo competition, the ’24 Hours in Bristol 2017’ competition is an ideal opportunity to put your smartphone and creative eye to the test. To enter or for more information visit 24hoursinbristol.co.uk.