Thomas Cook's Photo Competition Winner's Entry Towers Above the Rest

LONDON, June 28, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

A stunning snap taken from the top of the iconic Blackpool Tower has given one lucky family the unique chance to experience a £20,000 holiday of a lifetime with Thomas Cook

The winner of Thomas Cook's biggest Facebook competition to date, mother-of-two Gill Camm, is now planning the holiday of her dreams after members of the public picked her son's picture from a massive 10,000 entries to clinch the prize.

     (Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120628/542859 )

Mrs Camm's photograph of her son, who appears to be perching perilously 380 feet above the ground at the top of Blackpool's tower, was entered into the three-month long social media competition to find the picture that most encapsulated the "explorer spirit" of the travel giant's founder Thomas Cook.

The competition, which was launched in March as part of travel retailer's hugely successful 'It is a Wonderful World, Explore it with us" advertising campaign was aimed at celebrating the range and diversity of destinations on offer at home and abroad.

The incredible £20,000 holiday of a lifetime prize sparked interest across the nation with an incredible average of nearly 100 pictures a day being uploaded to the Facebook page as the battle to win intensified.

Showcasing snaps from holidaymakers enjoying the sun on their cheap holidays to Greece to braving the surf in Los Hervideros on their holiday to Lanzarote as well as taking in far-flung countries such as Africa and Australia, the pictures captured the travelling publics' enthusiasm for their annual breaks.

From the 10,000 entries, Thomas Cook customers and an independent panel of photography and travel experts had the tough task of shortlisting the six photos they felt best showed an explorer's spirit. But the final decision lay in the hands of the public, with voting by fans of the Thomas Cook Facebook community.

Gill Camm said the family wanted to say a big thank you to everyone who voted for their winning picture.

She said: "Wooo hoo, thank you ever so much for picking our photo and thank you for everyone who voted for it.

"We are thrilled to bits. The top of our list of places to go will be Disney World; our two children will love it there.

"We're so proud and happy that our photo has won."

The £20,000 prize can be spent on any holiday, whether that is a return trip to Blackpool, location of the winning photo, or a round-the-world tour with tailor-made itinerary to a world-famous theme park. And to help with planning, Gill will have a dedicated Thomas Cook Signature travel advisor advising her on all of the arrangements.

Notes to Editors:

1. Judges included: Lisa Minot, Travel Editor, The Sun & Sun on Sunday; Frank Barrett, Travel Editor, Mail on Sunday, Mark Hodson, 101 Holidays and former travel writer at The Times, Linda Lusardi, Photographer and former model and some of Britain's biggest travel bloggers.
2. The Facebook competition was designed to find a deserving winner who embodied the same exploring spirit as Mr Thomas Cook - who first founded the travel company in 1841 - and someone who wanted to share their experiences with others.

SOURCE Thomas Cook