A UNIVERSITY is inviting children to enter a photography competition with a difference.

The University of Teesside is looking for photographs illustrating what their home area means to youngsters.

Dr Tony Chapman, assistant director of the school of social sciences and law, said: "We want entrants to capture in photographs why the Tees Valley is home to them.

"They need to think about home in the broadest possible sense to include particular places that are important to them, like homes and gardens, shops, playgrounds or schools, or panoramic townscapes, suburban scenes, industrial landscapes or rural locations."

The competition is open to 11 to 14-year-olds living in the Tees Valley area. The five best entries will be chosen with the winners receiving a digital camera for their school. The closing date for entries is June 4.

The competition, which is sponsored by Regeneration Exchange, will form part of a two-day conference called A Place to Call Home, which will be held in July.

It will feature a talk by former Beirut hostage John McCarthy and will explore the impact of social change on home life.

For details of the competition or the conference, call Dr Chapman on (01642) 342321, or visit the university's website at www.tees.ac.uk/socialfutures.