The RSPCA Young Photographer Awards are open for entries until 13 August.

Last year more than 4,000 children and young people with a passion for photography, animals and nature entered the competition. Now budding photographers aged 18 years and under are being asked to submit their photos capturing the animal kingdom on a camera or mobile device.

Ellie Rothnie award-winning photographer and photographic guide, will again be part of the judging panel.

She said: “The RSPCA’s Young Photographer Awards is the ultimate celebration of young creative talent. Every year, the entries are astounding, and indeed many winners from this competition have become immensely successful professional photographers.”

This year the charity has launched a new category aimed at telling the story of an individual animal or commenting on the wider natural world. The Documenting Animals category will consist of three photos which will document real stories, events and animals and aims to inspire, educate and make change for animals.

Entrants in this category will raise awareness, spark a discussion or capture the world as it is today.

Andrew Forsyth, RSPCA photographer and competition judge, said: “We want entrants to show they have thought about the narrative of their images; they might show the changing landscape of a nature reserve or conservation project, maybe showing how humans help animals through rewilding initiatives or volunteering, or perhaps the images capture a series of moments which encapsulates an animal welfare or conservation issue.

“We’re excited to see what our young photographers in Surrey come up with.”

The category will also require entrants to write 120 words to illustrate the series, detailing what inspired them and give some background on what the story means for the animals involved.

To submit your entry, or for more information on the RSPCA Young Photographer Awards, latest news, galleries and photo tips visit https://young.rspca.org.uk