The winners of the annual Digital Camera Photographer of the Year 2009 competition have been announced, with an Icelandic photographer scooping the prestigious ‘Digital Camera Photographer of the Year’ crown for his image “Partners” – a wildlife photograph focusing on two horses.

‘Partners’ was taken by photographer Bragi J.Ingibergsson on a Canon EOS 5D camera. Judges praised the shot’s “simple and quiet nature”, singling out Bragi’s “vision and perseverance to give an ordinary scene significance and a sense of wildness.”  You can see all the winning entries and finalists in the gallery above. 

“The judges were delighted with the high standard of entries received in 2009,” said Matt Pierce, overseeing the competition. “It was incredibly tough to pick our overall image, but the considered composition and emotional impact of Bragi’s beautiful photograph narrowly edged out some of the other category winners.

The Digital Camera Photographer of the Year competition is the leading contest for anyone with a passion for digital photography. It’s open to both amateur and professional photographers of any nationality. Its aim is to reveal images that are creative, inspirational and technically superb. This year’s competition attracted more than 100,000 images by photographers from 126 countries around the world.

Digital Camera Photographer of the Year 2009 – winners
Overall Winner: Partners, Bragi J.Ingibergsson, Iceland

This is Britain – sponsored by Sky Arts: Fuel Girls - Al Overdrive, UK
World in Motion – sponsored by Telegraph.co.uk: The Pacu Jawi, Muhammad Fadli, Indonesia.
Man-made: Gas Station, Bart Heirweg, Belgium
Planet Earth – sponsored by PhotoRadar.com: Partners,
Bragi J.Ingibergsson, Iceland
Destination Everywhere: Devotee Morning Prayers at Sangam,
Rajesh Kumar Singh, India
Fashion: Two Different Sides, Michael Novrianus Maikro, Indonesia
Landscapes sponsored by Epson: Abraham Lake Ice, Chip Phillips, USA
People and Portraits: Dikke Dennis, Thomas van Beek, The Netherlands
Black & White: The Naked Truth, Carla Broekhuizen, The Netherlands
Digital Vision: How Mountains Are Made: Sabina Dimitriu, Romania

Young Photographer of the Year – Under 10s: Great Grandma, Tirza Lukacs, Hungary
Young Photographer of the Year – 11-14 years:  Sea Through the Window, India Sparacia, UK
Young Photographer of the Year – 15-17 years: Champion’s Breakfast. Tadas Šlajus, Lithuania

If your trigger finger is itching for the next Digital Camera Photographer of the Year competition, you’ll be delighted to hear that it’s launching March 2010.

See the best of 2008
Last year, the competition attracted more than 120,000 entries from around the world. The winning picture was taken by Tan Choon Wee, a wonderful image that the judges felt was endearingly magical and refreshing to witness.

There were 10 categories in the competition including urban, animals, documentary, landscape, portraiture and new for 2008, Hidden Britain, a category sponsored by Sky Arts. The winning image was taken by Yancho Slavov using a Nikon D50. The judges felt this gem of a shot had a wonderful sense of humour that captured the essence of Britishness.

Sky Arts went down to the Mall galleries in London to talk to the competition winners and get all the news on 2008's record breaking competition. Watch video >>

See many of the winners and finalists in the gallery above, or visit The Digital Camera Photographer of the Year website.  
 

Tips from Digital Camera magazine on how to capture that award-winning image for Sky Arts’ This is Britain category:
Don’t overlook the ordinary
Its often the everyday moments in life that characterise a country and culture. Hang out around your local chippy with a wide-angle lens or take the long lens to the beach for the day to capture knotted hankies on sunburned heads.

Do your research
Ask your local youth club or community centre if you can document what happens there. Take time to get to know the people and what makes them tick. Capture the pure spirit of the group activity and the character of the people.

Look for characters
A British country house surrounded by fields may seem like the perfect subject. Why not give the owners a knock and ask them to pose at the front gate for you? If you don't ask, you don't get!

Get in close with a wide-angle lens
Dont dismiss sport from this category. Get down to your local sports pitch and see what's going on. Forget the action on the field, and fish out a wide-angle zoom. The great British spirit can often be found off the pitch or on the sidelines.

It doesn't have to be pretty
Britain isn't all a bed of roses, either, so remember that when you walk out of the door with your camera. How about capturing the darker side of British culture?

Be creative
Think laterally and outside the box. A greasy spoon truck-stop café may be the epitome of hidden British culture, but would a stylish and creatively lit image of a full English breakfast say even more than a wider shot could ever express?

Give your shots presence
A country and its culture is all about the people. If you're avoiding shooting people, then make sure theyve left a strong presence in your photograph. Art, vandalism and even dumped rubbish all have a strong link to human activity.

Be original
If landscapes are more your thing, then make sure you shoot them from a completely fresh angle. Get there when the light is at its best and avoid the clichéd views.
To find out more and enter online, visit The Digital Camera Photographer of the Year website.