Organisers of the Fort William Mountain Festival 2007, a celebration  of mountain culture, have announced details of open film,  photography, art and writing competitions, that will form part of the exciting programme of events at next year's festival.

After the success of the 2006 film competition the Fort William  Mountain Festival 2007 has created another opportunity for both  amateur and professional filmmakers from across the globe to showcase their work and share their passion for sport, culture and the environment.

The aim of the the 2007 Fort William Mountain Festival is to celebrate mountain life and culture.  As in previous festivals, there  will be evenings focusing on mountain sports including snow sports,  mountaineering, mountain biking and kayaking.  Wild places and mountain culture are also important themes within the festival  programme.

Entries for the Film Competition are invited for submission on these  subjects and themes.  The competition is also open to a broader  spectrum of material if relevant to mountains and life around them.   A panel will judge the films in the following prize categories: Grand Prize (£500), Best Short Film (£300 sponsored by Scottish Highlands and Islands Film Commission), Young Filmmaker (under 18 - £200) and  Best Highland Amateur Filmmaker (£300). Each prize winner will have  their film screened during the Festival alongside a stong programme  of mountain film that includes the Best of the Banff Film Festival.  They will also receive a specially commissioned commemorative plate  made by Fired Art, Fort William.

A new addition to the 2007 festival will be the John Muir Trust Open  Writing Competition,  with the winning piece being published in the  John Muir Trust Journal, one of the strongest voices in the campaign  for the protection and conservation of wild places. The competition encourages entrants to share their experience of wild places and wild  journeys. This can incorporate a journey or expedition on land or  water, an exploration of a remote place, a climb, a walk, a river, a  loch, a mountain. The winners will be announced at the 'Wilderness  Evening' with a panel of authors on Saturday 17th February, the  opening weekend of the Festival.

Entries for the 2007 Fort William Mountain Festival Photographic Competition are also now invited.  Organisers are looking for  photographers to submit pictures on various themes including Mountain  Adventure, Mountain Culture and Mountain Landscape.  The competition is open to both amateur and professional photographers together with  a special junior category. The Grand Prize is a week's photography  holiday with Wildshots worth £600. Other prizes include cash and  prizes from festival sponsors.

The People's Choice Original Art Competition will be held in  conjunction with the Art and Photo Exhibition at next year's  festival. It again promises to be an exciting and intriguing part of  the festival. Each artist is asked to nominate one piece of their own exhibited artwork for the public visiting the exhibition to vote on as their favourite via a ballot box. There will be an overall cash  prize as well as a junior category prize.

The entry deadline for the film competition is 31st December 2006;  both the art and photography competitions share a 31st January 2007 dealine, whilst entries for the writing competition must be received by 26th January 2007.

Further details on all the Fort William Mountain Festival 2007  competitions, entry forms and rules and regulations can be found at  www.mountainfilmfestival.co.uk