It’s that time of year again, buds are bursting, birds are singing and the BBC Countryfile Photographic Competition is under way. Last year the competition was more popular than ever, with more than 30,000 entries. The best went into the Countryfile Calendar, which was sold in aid of Children In Need, and raised £779,226 for the charity.

This year, the programme is hoping for even more inspiring entries. The theme is A Moment of Magic, and you can interpret that anyway you wish, as long as your photo captures a magical moment that makes the rest of us wish we’d been there to see it.

Photographs must have the countryside or natural world at their heart, and can feature landscapes, people, British wildlife (plants and animals), farmyard animals or countryside activities, but no pets or garden plants please. And do state if the images are of British wildlife in captivity.

Send your photos to: Countryfile Photographic Competition 2010, BBC, The Mailbox, Birmingham, B1 1RF. The competition closing date is midnight on Friday 27 August, 2010.

Before you enter, make sure you read the full details of the terms and conditions by clicking on this link: Countryfile Photographic Competition terms and conditions.

If you're in search of some inspiration, here are some of the winning entries from last year's competition, when the theme was Animals in Action. All of these entries made it into the 2010 Countryfile calendar.

2009 winner, as voted by Countryfile viewers: Snowy Squirrel, by Cheryl Surry

Golden Dawn, by Robert Fulton

Lone Tree, by David Stephenson

March Hare, by Laurence Watton

Perfect Poise, by Nick McKeown

Reflected Glory, by Keith Prescott

Flower Power, by Gary Grey

Swan Lake, by Callum Musgrove

Web of Pearls, by Annie Durkan

Morning Light, by Tony Lovell

Say Cheese, by Geoffrey Hill

Waxing in Winter, by David Hermon