A commended shot from last year’s competition. Image by Paul Thompson/EnviroSEA Thailand

This year the award has been split into two separate areas, one for best camera-trap photo and one exclusively for long-term animal research projects involving camera-traps. Both contain three categories each.

Mark Swain, Editor of BBC Wildlife Magazine said that the split was made to ensure that the award could fully celebrate the advancements camera-trap technology has made in both wildlife research and photography.

The Camera-trap Photo of the Year competition is divided into three categories: Animal Portraits, for images that capture a subject’s ‘character or spirit’; Animal Behaviour, looking for behaviour that’s ‘interesting or unusual’; and British Wildlife.

From the winners of these three categories, the Camera-trap Photographer of the Year will be selected.

A maximum of 12 camera-trap images may be submitted. The competition is open to everyone.

Winners in each category for both awards will be published in the December 2014 issue of BBC Wildlife Magazine and on the magazine’s website, as well as receiving a Lowepro Flipside Sport 15L camera pack.

The overall winner of the research project award will receive a grand prize of £3000. What the Camera-trap Photo of the Year will receive is at this point unconfirmed, though the website promises a ‘prestigious prize’.

The closing date for the competition is June 30, 2014. To submit entries and view terms and conditions, visit www.discoverwildlife.com/competitions.