Spirit of Tasmania CEO Charles Griplas today announced details of 'Capture the Spirit' - an exciting search to find and reward Australia's quiet achievers in the world of photography. The people behind Bass Strait's iconic ships are looking for photographs by enthusiastic and talented Australian snappers that celebrate and engage with the beauty of Tasmania.

Mr Griplas said, "Whether it's capturing that idyllic shot of the sun setting over the stunning Cradle Mountain, a group of friends sharing the delights of Hobart or a couple bush walking in the picturesque Wine Glass Bay, Spirit of Tasmania wants to share your pictures with the world. And what's more, there are great prizes to be won including digital SLR cameras and holidays.

"We were inspired by Peter Dombrovskis and Olegas Truchanas, two famous photographers who were passionate about Tasmania and its unique landscape. A desire to capture the visually stunning environment is shared by many, not just by the professional photographer.

"We are consistently amazed and delighted by the hundreds of Spirit of Tasmania passengers who share details of their trips online with blogs and pictures. We want to provide a platform to ensure the general public's photographic work is given due recognition. We plan to bring their previously unseen snaps together on our website and reward their talents."

The 'Capture the Spirit' photograph collection will be displayed online, as part of a specially designed virtual gallery. The winning photographs will receive a state-of-the-art Canon 1000 twin lens digital SLR camera plus accessories, so budding photographers can hone their skills even further! Plus there are Spirit of Tasmania journeys and Discovery Holiday Parks' accommodation packages for selected categories.

The judging panel consists of Tasmanian based photographer Geoff Murray, Philip Lennard of the Australian Photography Association and Spirit of Tasmania's CEO Charles Griplas.

On behalf of the judges, Geoff Murray said: "Tasmania has some of the world's most stunning scenery that inspires great photographs. This is an excellent way not only to recognise undiscovered photography talent, but also to gather their great pictures and show off all that Tasmania has to offer."

There's a 'Best Kid's Photo Award' category, which is open to those aged 12 years and under, and Spirit of Tasmania is also linking up with the 'Save the Tasmanian Devil Program' by including a special charity category entitled 'My Favourite Tassie Devil'. The judges will be looking for creativity so perhaps a Looney Tunes style Taz or your Tasmanian Devil tie will come in handy! Of course, photographs of the real thing will be accepted too.

The Save the Tasmanian Devil program is the official response to the Devil Face Tumour Disease which has caused a major population decline amongst the species. The Australian and Tasmanian Governments and the University of Tasmania have established this partnership in order to protect the Tasmanian Devil.

Two of the winning photographs will be selected by the public via online voting. A 'Tasmania's Choice Award' will encourage patriotic Tasmanians to get involved and vote for their favourite photograph whilst the rest of Australia will also have their say, through the 'People's Choice Award' category.

Call for nominations are open until 30 November. Entry to this competition is via website only at spiritoftasmania.com.au. Full terms and conditions can be found on the above website.

29. Winners who have submitted a photo will be asked to sign a copyright waiver for Spirit of Tasmania to use their image, without remuneration and without the need to credit the photographer for an unlimited period of time. The images may be used for promotional purposes in advertising, collateral, and in authorised third party websites and publications. If any of the winning photos feature people, an indemnity form will need to be signed by each of them. Where the winning photos feature children less than 18 years of age, an indemnity form will need to be signed by their parents. Failure to comply with any of these conditions will deem the photos ineligible to win.