Entries are officially open for a competition filled with hope.

Despite Borderlines Carlisle's book festival being cancelled this year due to the ongoing pandemic, its poetry and photography competitions are well underway – and the judges can't wait to see how this year's theme is interpreted.

With "hope" running featuring, inspiring or influencing their work in any way possible, photographers and poets are invited to submit their work for £5 per entry, with entries for both closing on September 6.

The poems – of under 40 lines – will be judged by acclaimed writer and poet Helen Mort, with the winner being given £250, and three runner-ups receiving book tokens of £50 or £25.

Carlisle-based photographer and former Cumbria Life picture editor Phil Rigby is set to judge the snaps, with a £100 prize up for grabs.

The lucky winner will also receive a copy of Phil's book, Portrait of Cumbria: Life and Landscape, which saw him win the Lakeland Book of the Year Award 2018.

For more details, or to enter your work, visit www.borderlinescarlisle.co.uk.