Cash prizes are on offer for young creatives in Surrey as part of a new competition designed to celebrate biodiversity in the county.

Surrey Wildlife Fund (SWF), who are staging the competition, dubbed it the 'Cutting Hedge Creativity' competition and said they wanted to highlight the importance and centrality of hedgerows to some of Surrey's most beloved animals and plants.

They are also hoping to highlight the risks to Surrey habitats and the life they support posed by the climate and ecological crises.

Developers London Square are fronting the largest of the cash prizes for winners in each category, which include £200 for the winner of the 18+ competition and £50 for the winner of the 12-18 competition.

All winning entries, plus the Runners-Up in each category and a 'People's Choice' favourite (£100 award) will also be featured in the Surrey Nature Magazine.

A spokesperson for the SWF described what they would be looking for in more detail:

"The competition is aiming to highlight the life, the history and the work behind the creation of these remarkable eco-systems.

"Entries can be fiction or factual writing, videos, photography, art and social media stories.

"The first category focuses Hedgerow Histories, focusing on how hedgelaying has been part of our landscape for centuries, the skilled hedgelayers who create them and the living history they represent.

"Life in the Hedge is the second category, looking at the range of creatures to be found in hedgerows from hedgehogs, to dormice to blackbirds singing from the branches.

"The vital role hedgerows play in fighting pollution and the ecological crisis facing our planet is the third category," a spokesperson said.

Entries close on May 31. Click here for more details and how to enter.