The photography challenge is open for business!
  • 12 Month Challenge

  • Monthly Winners & Awards

  • Free Monthly Photography Workshops

  • Free Photo Walks

  • Public Exhibition

  • Challenge Book and Calendar

  • Permanent Digital Photo Archive

The Darent Valley Landscape Partnership Scheme is an exciting large-scale partnership, working to conserve and enhance the distinctive heritage landscapes of the Darent Valley and to connect people to the Valley to help us conserve it for the future.

The scheme focuses on the work of influential landscape artist Samuel Palmer who, 200 years ago, described the Darent Valley as an ‘earthly paradise’. Today, he would still recognise the special qualities conveyed through his visionary paintings.

The Darent Valley Photo Challenge is part of a major project to capture the essence of the landscape and life in the Valley through photographs and to build a digital picture archive of the Valley for future generations.

To do this, we need to get as many people as possible out in the landscape with their cameras and smartphones taking pictures throughout the seasons,

To help you with this, we are running a monthly, free online photography workshop and free-to-attend photo walks, each covering different parts of the valley, its history, landscape, and its wildlife. The workshops and walks will be presented by professional photographer and teacher Paul Burgess ARPS. Paul lives in the valley and is a professional landscape photographer working with the Darent Valley Landscape Partnership Scheme

Every month, you will be invited to submit your best images to the Image of the Month Award. the winning image will be used as the image for the month in the 2023 calendar, which will be printed at the end of the project. Winners will also receive a fine art print of their winning entry.

At the end of the project, we are planning to hold a public exhibition of the best entries and to produce a limited edition book.

FAQ’s

Who can take part?

Anybody of any age living in or visiting the Valley who has access to a digital camera or a smartphone. You don’t need to be an experienced photographer to be part of the challenge family, but you must be interested in engaging with the landscape and discovering some of the hidden gems that it has to offer.

What area does the Challenge cover?

The Challenge covers the whole of the DVLPS area which stretches from near Limpsfield in the south through to where the River Darent joins the Thames north of Dartford.
You can see a map here

How do I submit my photos?

From the 16th of October, you will be able to log on to the website and post your pictures to the online gallery.

Do I have to attend the Challenge events to enter?

Absolutely not. Anybody is free to submit their photographs to the challenge

What format do my pictures need to be in?

For pictures to be eligible in the challenge, they must JPG files in landscape format so that we can use them in the calendar. If you are using a smartphone make sure that you send them at large size. If you are one of the winners, we will ask you to send us high resolution files so that we can print your image.

Who will own the copyright of my images?

By submitting an image to the Challenge you are agreeing to abide by the Challenge rules and at the same time, you are confirming that you own the copyright of the image, because you have taken the photograph in the first place. By submitting the image you will give the Darent Valley Landscape Partnership Scheme, its associates, and sponsors the right to use the image for publicity purposes on any medium with a credit to you as the photographer. You are also giving your permission for the image to be published in the project’s digital archive. Regardless of this, you will retain the copyright as the photographer who took the picture.

You can submit your images directly through the website and see the photos other people have submitted.

Co-financed by the European Union and the European Regional Development Fund