A SUPER camera and film will be snapped up by the winner of our NIE photography competition for eight to 16-year-olds, launched last week.

Professional photographer Jack Barry has generously donated a Braun Handy-BF camera and will also give a talk and tips to the school of the winning entrant.

We invited young people to send in their view of East Lancashire by submitting up to three photographs.

Whether you choose to show shots of our towns and villages, local people or some of our countryside, we want to see what you think of the place we live in. It could be a pretty picture or gritty urban landscape, the choice is yours.

Don't forget to enclose your name, age, home or school address and a telephone number plus titles or desciptions of your pictures and send to the address below to reach us by June 14.

The same date is the extended deadline to send in entries to our NIE poetry competition linked to the National Year of Reading.

This competition launched in April, asked for original poems with the title "In the News" from eight to 16-year-olds. Although some entries have arrived, we realise that schools are busy at this time with SATs, followed by a half-term holiday and have decided to extend the deadline to June 14.

Both competitions will be judged in separate age groups and have valuable books from publisher Dorling Kindersley waiting for winners.

Send all entries to NIE Competitions, Lancashire Evening Telegraph, High Street, Blackburn, BB1 1HT, to arrive by June 14. Our usual competition rules apply and the editor's decision is final.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.