AN amateur photographer has received an accolade in a prestigious photography competition.

Pat Maycroft, of Butterknowle, in Teesdale, was selected as a nominee in the 12th annual Black and White Spider Awards in the category of Still Life last month.

The competition - which focuses solely on black and white photography - was held at a live online gala was attended by more than 11,000 photography fans around the globe.

Judges included industry experts from The Armory Show, in New York; Christie's in London; GQ in New York and Pixar Animation Studios.

There were a total of 672 coveted title awards and 1,034 nominees across 31 categories.

Mrs Maycroft, 72, was awarded the title of nominee and was one of 1,000 given the award from more than 8,000 entries in her category.

Her submissions included Saltburn Pier and a door knocker in a French village which she entitled Don’t Bite the Hand because the shadow looked like a crow.

The former Darlington College teacher said she was delighted to be recognised and encouraged anyone interested in the art to enter competitions.

To find out more visit thespiderawards.com