AUGUST COMPETITION WINNER

Michael Gow, of Nottingham, took the prize with this image, taken at the much-photographed Bird's Nest stadium in Beijing. “My girlfriend and I were outside, about to go in to watch the athletics. All of a sudden music started blaring, a 100 square metre area came to life with water fountains - and there were howls of laughter as people got soaked. The little boy in yellow kept running in and dodging the water.”

This month's runner up came from Simon Keeping, and featured as last week's best entry. The image of Club Tropicana was taken on a week-long trip to Cuba.

Michael wins a three-night luxury spa break at Chewton Glen.

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• Citizen Traveller final week: August 30

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• Citizen Traveller week three: August 23

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• August 16: this month's second gallery of nominations

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• August 7: this month's first gallery of nominations

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• July finalists: 20 shortlisted entries

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• Times Travel Picture Editor Lou Siroy's pick of the 20 best entries from January-June

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• June finalists: 20 shortlisted entries

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• May finalists: 20 shortlisted entries

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• April finalists: 20 shortlisted entries

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• March finalists: 20 shortlisted entries

SEPTEMBER COMPETITION

The September competition is now open.

Send your best shot to travelpictures@thetimes.co.uk. It should be attached to the e-mail as a large Jpeg. If you have entered before select another picture and have another go.

The prize is a three-night stay for two people at the five-star InterContinental Budapest. The prize is based on two sharing and includes two economy return flights to Budapest, three nights bed and breakfast accommodation in a Club InterContinental Room overlooking the River Danube, two complimentary tickets to the opera, one complimentary dinner in Corso and return airport transfers in Budapest.

Winner and guest must both be aged 18 or over. The trip must be taken before end April 2009 excluding peak periods. All departures and accommodation are subject to availability. All taxes, fees and surcharges are included. Transfers are included. The winner is responsible for all costs and expenses not set out in these terms and conditions and for ensuring they and their guest have all necessary documents including valid passports, visas (where applicable) and travel insurance. Relevant airlines standard conditions of carriage will apply. Click here for prize details in full.

Terms and conditions

1. The competition will run on www.timesonline.co.uk website from August 30, 2008 to noon on September 29, 2008.

2. Closing date for entries is noon on September 29, 2008

3. Unless otherwise stated, the competition is open to all residents of the UK and ROI aged 18 or over, except employees of Times Newspapers Limited (“TNL”), NCL and Metro Imaging and their associated, affiliated or subsidiary companies, and their families, agents, or anyone connected with this competition, including the third party promotional partners.

4. Entry limited to one per person. The winner is responsible for ensuring they are able to accept the prize as set out and in accordance with these terms and conditions, in the event they are unable to do so then the TNL reserves the right to redraw the prize.

5. Entry is free but entrants should be aware that they may be subject to local call charges depending on their own individual arrangements for Internet access.

6. An eligible entrant must be an individual and must submit an entry in the form provided by TNL under this promotion including their name, address, telephone number and e-mail address.

7. By entering, all eligible entrants agree to abide by each and all these terms and conditions. TNL reserves the right, with or without cause, to exclude entrants and withhold prizes for violating any of these terms and conditions. TNL reserves the right to amend these terms and conditions. Any amendments will be published on the Website.

8. Each entrant must submit one photograph in jpeg format with an explanation detailing when, where and why the photograph was taken in no more than 50 words together with their name, email address and location. Photographs should address the theme “travel”. The photograph should be the entrants own work and should have been taken during 2007/2008. Entrants represent and warrant that they are not professional photographers and that their entry does not infringe the privacy rights, copyright or any other rights of any person. Obscene or inappropriate photographs will not be accepted and TNL reserves the right to reject any photographs for any reason. Prior to submitting a photograph of any identifiable individual, entrants should obtain the consent of such person and advise them of the purpose of the submission and that their photograph may be published by TNL (including in The Times).

9. The overall winner will be notified by email within seven (7) days from the closing date. All reasonable endeavours will be made to contact the winner during this time. If a winner cannot be contacted or is not available, TNL reserves the right to re-draw another winner from the correct entries which were received before the closing date.

10. There is one first prize for the entrant whose photograph is selected as the overall winner. There will also be a prize for entrants whose photographs are selected for publication in The Times Travel section as a winner of the week. Winner of the week is subject to editorial discretion and so may not be awarded each week. The winner will be the entrant whose photograph, in the opinion of the judges, demonstrates the greatest flair, technique and originality.

11. The first prize is a three-night stay for two people at the five-star InterContinental Budapest (www.intercontinental.com) with return flights to Budapest.

12. The prize for the “winner of the week” is a 12x16 inch Fine Art Digital C-type print from www.metroimaging.co.uk. The winner will be notified within seven days of their photograph appearing in the paper and the prize will be sent to the address provided by the winner at time of entry.

13. There is no cash or other alternative to the prize stated and the prize is not transferable and no part or parts of the prize may be substituted for other benefits, items or additions.

14. The winner may be required to submit valid identification before receiving their prize.

15. The judge's decision is final and binding on the entrants. No correspondence will be entered into.

16. TNL will not be liable for technical, hardware, or software failures of any kind or lost or unavailable network connections which may limit or prohibit an eligible entrant's ability to participate in the competition. Other than death or personal injury arising from the acts or omissions of TNL, or their employees, TNL will not be liable for any loss or damage arising out of the winner or their guest’s enjoyment of the prize

17. By entering, any subsequent prize winners agree to allow the free use of their names, photographs and general locations for publicity and news purposes during this and future promotions by TNL or any associated or subsidiary company of News International Limited.

18. TNL reserves the right to publish all or parts of entries other than the winning entry, and publication does not necessarily mean that the entrant has won a prize. TNL reserves the right to edit entries in its discretion for publication. Entrants will retain copyright in their submitted entries; however, by entering, all entrants give TNL a worldwide royalty free perpetual licence to edit, publish and use all or segments of each entry in any and all media (including print and online) for publicity and news purposes. In particular, all entrants license TNL the right to print their entry on thetimes online and in print.

19. Uses of personal data received by TNL in the course of the promotion are subject to the privacy policy found on the Website. Winners' names may be published on the Website.

20. Completion and submission of a registration slip or e-mail will be deemed acceptance of these terms and conditions.

21. TNL reserves the right at any time to cancel, modify or supersede the competition (including altering prizes) if, in their sole discretion, a competition is not capable for being conducted as specified. TNL reserves the right to substitute a prize of equal value in the event that circumstances beyond their control make this unavoidable.

22. The promoter of this prize draw is Times Newspapers Limited (address below)

23. For a list of winners, please send a stamped envelope to Times Newspapers Limited Competitions Department, 1 Virginia Street, London E98 1RL, stating for which competition you would like winners’ details.

24. Terms and Conditions printed in The Times/The Sunday Times newspaper or on Times Online form a part of these terms and conditions.

PREVIOUS WINNERS

July

The Times Travel Editor, Kathleen Wyatt chose the winner sent in by Matt Davis (Pic 1, July finalists): "The high-quality images you've been sending in have made me think twice every time I take a picture. Matt Davis's rum stores dogs is so soaked in atmosphere and character that it claims this month's prize of a 12-night Mediterranean cruise with NCL." Matt, who took the photo in Puerto Princesca, Palawan Island in the Philippines said: "The shot kind of summed up the islands for me - colourful and laid back with an attempt at order which never quite succeeds."

June

Congratulations to Ollie Blackwell, a researcher for a TV production company, who hired a 4WD and “headed off into the sticks” in Namibia (Photo No 3, June finalists). “This shot of my girlfriend playing with a sparkler under the stars was taken on a 30-second exposure, with the camera resting on a boulder and a baked bean can. I love how well the stars came out. Katie had come across some sparklers that she had left in her rucksack from a festival we had been to a few months back - she sparked one up and this is the picture.”

May

Justin Stokes from London Bridge took the winning image in the May competition (May finalists gallery, picture 17): "It was taken in London in January, at the second hand book market on the South Bank. I spoke to the old man and he was actually on holiday, and trying to see areas of the world he'd never been to while he could. I found him interesting: he didn't seem to have a wife or anyone with him but still content to explore things he'd never seen. The sweet spot of focus that gives this that lovely depth of field lens blur is due to the use of a tilt lens. By blowing up the photo, you can see he is reading an obscure book on WW2."

April

The winning picture came from Calum Smail (April 16 gallery, picture 9): “I had wanted to take some pictures of Paris at night, so headed to the Arc de Triomphe before sunset. “After climbing up the hundreds of steps to the top, I was just working my way around when I noticed the cloud sweeping in from the west. It took about five minutes for the cloud and sun to form the dramatic view in the photograph. About a minute later the rain was on top of us and we had to take cover.”

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