TWO photographs of Exmoor National Park were among the final shortlist of nine images in this year’s UK National Parks Photo Competition.

They were chosen from hundreds of photos submitted but just missed out on the top spot, which went to David Russell’s image of Glen Feshie in the Cairngorms National Park.

The annual competition serves to showcase the diverse landscapes of the UK’s 15 national parks, and this year’s theme was Britain’s Landscapes of Plenty, encouraging photographers of all ages and skill levels to capture images they felt highlighted the beauty and productivity of the national parks.

Clare O’Connor from Exmoor National Park said: “It was really exciting to see so many beautiful images of Exmoor submitted to the competition, and even better that two were selected for the shortlist.”

The guest judge for this year’s competition was TV presenter Julia Bradbury, and the standard of entries this year was very high and made judging particularly difficult, said National Parks UK Director Kathryn Cook.

“Within the shortlist there are stunning images of Snowdonia, the Lake District, the South Downs, Exmoor, the Peak District, and the Broads,” she said.

“Each one of these images is truly inspiring and serves as a reminder of the special qualities of Britain’s breathing spaces.”

All of the shortlisted images, including the winning image, can be viewed at: www.nationalparks.gov.uk/photocompetition.