Entries closed on Friday last week and everyone who entered is invited to the awards ceremony on tonight.

Stamford Arts Centre will be the venue for the ceremony where the winners will be announced and the prizes given out.

First prize is a Pentax digital SLR camera worth more than £500 and two runners-up will each receive a Pentax digital compact camera worth £200.
Hundreds of entries have been received from keen photographers.

Mercury Editor Eileen Green said: "We have received hundreds of images which prefectly capture everything that is good about this area. The judges will have a tough task deciding on the winners."

There are three categories open to all age groups action, abstract and portrait.

Specsavers store directors James Keyworth and Neil Macdonald together with Mercury photographer Jonathan Smith, will select the Stamford Specsavers Photographers of 2008.

Judges will choose one winner for each of the three categories, and the overall winner will be decided from these.

The ceremony and announcement will be at 7.30pm with the pictures available for viewing from 3pm.