RUNNER-UP

This dramatic photo of the Maunsell Forts in the Thames estuary wins Roy Morris, 71, from Eastbourne, East Sussex, £500.

‘I took up photography on my retirement and belong to a camera club in Eastbourne,’ says Roy. ‘I make no apology for the fact this could never be described as a pretty picture. The club was on an outing on a boat on the River Medway with the idea of taking shots of the Thames barges racing.

‘But there was a lull in the action so I asked the guy in charge of the boat if there was anything else I could photograph with my Canon EOS 5D Mark IV. And that’s when he suggested the Maunsell Forts in the Thames estuary. They were built as part of Britain’s defence system in the Second World War. There’s something other-worldly about them, a sort of cross between the Daleks and the Triffids. Their rusting, slightly sinister appearance appealed to me.’

WHAT THE JUDGES THOUGHT

Ben Fogle ‘These were built in the last war as a defence against enemy invasion and I like the fact they were never taken down. It makes them look like something of a ghostly relic now, but they’re no less fascinating for that. It’s the kind of photograph I’d have in my house. Not because it’s calming or beautiful, but quite the reverse. It’s challenging.’

Julia ‘These strike me as ugly/ beautiful, like something out of Stars Wars. They’re very arresting.’

Damien ‘The composition is excellent. The photographer’s managed to separate each of them so they don’t merge into one.’

I like the idea they all have different characters and yet are almost certainly built to precisely the same design. To my eye, they’re rather eccentric and very British somehow. JOHN SERGEANT