Entries are now being invited for the 2006/7 Commonwealth Photographic Awards, which this year have ‘Achievement’ as the theme.

It is an open competition for all Commonwealth residents and pictures will be judged on the interpretation of the theme as well as technical quality.

The idea of the event, organised by the Commonwealth Press Union, is to offer a view of how people in the Commonwealth, with its mixture of races, creeds, cultures and ways of life, see themselves and others.

This year’s contest boasts two new categories, The Canberra Times/CPU Young Photographer Award, the prize for which is a three-week photographic residency at the newspaper’s offices in Australia, and ‘Three Pictures – One Story’, which invites entrants to create a storyboard.

The overall winner of the Commonwealth Photographic Awards will receive £1,000 , and further prizes will be awarded to the regional winners.

CPU training director, Jane Rangeley said: “We organise the Commonwealth Photographic Awards for many reasons, one of them being that we believe photography to be vital to the success of a newspaper.

“We hope that we will play a part in encouraging newspapers to use photographs more on their pages and young photographers to take better pictures.

“By supporting photographers – whether amateur or professional, young or old – we are encouraging an independent view, press freedom and democracy. We therefore endeavour, via these Awards, to promote photography as an important form of media.”

The new Canberra Times/CPU Young Photographer Award reflects the fact that today nearly half Commonwealth population is under the age of 30.

There will also be several exhibitions taking place in Commonwealth cities and featuring the winning images. The first will be in London in March.

The CPU is an association whose membership includes over 1,500 newspapers and news agencies, and it monitors and acts upon any measures or proposals likely to affect the freedom of the press; works to improve facilities for reporting and transmitting news; and promotes the training of all involved in the Commonwealth’s press.

The deadline for entries is Wednesday January 17. To see rules, criteria and the full details on the Awards, plus winning photographs from previous years, please visit www.cpu.org.uk and click on the picture link.