First prize in the Wisden-MCC Cricket Photograph of the Year competition has doubled to £2,000, though this is unlikely to be the motivation for a small avalanche of photographers around the world sending in their entries for 2014.

The best three colour images are due to be published in the 2015 edition of the Wisden Cricketer’s Almanack, and the top 11 images go on display at Lord’s, where they will be seen by thousands of spectators and visitors through the year. So there is glory as well as financial reward for the winners.

Atul Kamble, of Mid-Day Media, India, won first prize for 2013 with his image of Indian fans clamouring for a photograph of Sachin Tendulkar before his final innings at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. The hundreds of entries gave the judges a very tricky task in a mostly subjective assessment, as usual, but Kamble's winning picture was the best yet, in my view. The composition drew the eye in and told a story in a most fascinating way.

This year's first prize of £2,000 is followed by two runners-up awards of £1,000 and eight short-listed entries of £250 each. The competition is open to amateurs and professionals alike. Up to three images can be entered, with the only stipulation being that each photograph must have a cricket-related theme and must have been taken in 2014. The closing date for entries is midnight on Sunday 4 January 2015 via the Lord’s website at www.lords.org/photoentry.

The short list, runners-up and eventual winner will be chosen by a panel chaired by Chris Smith, the former chief sports photographer of The Sunday Times. The judges include the eminent photographers Patrick Eagar and Bob Thomas.

Smith said: “This competition has gone from strength to strength over the years and I’m looking forward to seeing the entries again this year. As many previous short-listed entries have proved, you do not have to have access to a major match or an expensive camera to be in with a chance of winning. The judges are looking for a broad range of eye-catching images that illustrate cricket at its best in all forms.”

Adam Chadwick, MCC museum curator, added: “We’ve seen some fantastic images entered into this competition in recent years and I’m sure this year will be no different.”

Prizes:
The prize for the winning photograph is £2,000 and two runners-up will each receive £1,000. The top three will receive a copy of the Wisden Cricketers Almanack featuring their winning image. Eight other short-listed entries will each receive £250.

Judging Panel:
Chris Smith (chairman), Nigel Davies, Patrick Eagar, Bob Thomas, Hugh Routledge.

How to enter:
Each entrant may submit up to three different photographs taken between 1 January and 31 December 2014 via the online entry form at: www.lords.org/photoentry

If an entrant’s three images combined exceed 10MB, then they must be submitted separately via the entry form on the Lord’s website. Full caption details must also be supplied for each photograph, including the location and date on which it was taken.

Closing date: Sunday, 4 January 2015 (23.59 GMT).

Full terms and conditions: www.lords.org/photoentry  

www.lords.org/photooftheyear