Travel Photographer of the Year has announced that the overall winner of this year's competition will be given the opportunity to spend up to two days photographing His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Dharamsala, the Tibetan settlement in Northern India.

The one-off experience, organised by adventure holiday company High & Wild, will be part of a longer visit to India, much of which will be spent in and around Dharamsala, the seat of the Tibetan Government in exile. To allow time for participants to submit their entries, the closing date for the competion has been extended to October 3.

“We are honoured to offer such a magnificent prize for the overall winner of this year’s competition. The trip to Dharamsala offers everything a serious travel photographer could wish for; incredible mountain and forest scenery, historical architecture, fascinating Tibetan, Buddhist and Indian cultures, the Tibetan Children’s Village, amazing people photography and, of course, a priceless opportunity – the chance to document a day in the life of the Dalai Lama,” said TPOTY organiser, Chris Coe.

The Travel Photographer of the Year 2007 will also receive an Apple MacBook with Aperture 1.5 software, Adobe CS3 Web Premium software, a £2,500 TPOTY bursary, and a Plastic Sandwich leather portfolio book.

For inspiration, view our gallery of previous winners by following the link on the left.

Further highlights of this year's competion include a New Talent category, purposely designed to kick-start or give a major boost to a new career in photography, and a Young Travel Photographer of the Year category, for those aged 16 and under.

Prizes will also go to the winners of the three Portfolio categories and the One Shot category, including trips to Tanzania and China and an exhibition at a central London gallery.

Entries for TPOTY 2007 are now open and close on October 3rd. Full details and entry forms can be obtained from www.tpoty.com

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