View the finalists of the Northern Landscapes photography challenge

As one of the judges Jon Eland remarked when faced with the enormity of the task ahead, "competitions are rarely easy - and this harder than most." The sheer beauty of so many of the entries and the creativity that Northerner readers brought to this challenge was remarkable. Below are the six images the judges have selected plus an extra one chosen by the users of n0tice.com who marked the image at the top of this page of Morecombe Bay by BlueSunday as the most interesting . Please take a moment to cast your vote here. What the judges said Graeme Rowatt : "As with any creative competition the final selection of the judges must also be their interpretation of the Brief, creativity can be a subjective process and it's almost certain that everybody will have a favourite they expect to see progress... or put another way these are my selection which I'm sure others will both agree and disagree with..." Eland: "I held true to a few of my original measures - but also adapted as I viewed the images. My first 'cut' was to 14; many of those worthy images. In the end I tried to avoid those obvious cliches (tho probably failed) and looked for images with depth, originality and, where possible, something I would be happy to represent me as a northerner. I hope you appreciate my selection; but I'll end my summary by congratulating all who entered - thanks for making my job difficult!" The Cleveland Way at Sunset by Thomas Bewley . "An original landscape that, for me, in someway sums up much of what a northern rural landscape is - stunningly beautiful", Eland. Driving on the motorway near Hull by lufcwls. "I've driven that road too many times to count, but perhaps this does sum up the contrast and complexity of the northern landscape... a beautiful landscape, beneath which lies a source of industry and power... which made the landscape and the communities of today", Rowatt. Looking in the wrong direction by Andy Darcy . "This is one of my favourite places, anywhere - so the photographer was onto a winner. But the real clincher for me was the combination of a human scale and perspective within the image. A real quirky northern persona about it," Eland. Time to go home by Ian Stafford. "This image stood out from the start, for the narrative in the image, the colour palette and the apparent careful composition... it's the coastline, the traditional industrial landscape, the "new" sport of surfing," Rowatt. Shard of Light by Wombat37 . "I love to photograph the urban landscape - and this shows a very different side to the north. If the last was selected for it's quirkiness - this was to show that Northernness has moved on and we have urban landscapes that will surprise those from elsewhere," Eland. Snow falls on Great Gable by MisterBus. "For me it's the depth and contrast of light and weather... sunshine here, snow there and in between all the possibilities that make this landscape so dramatic... it's the Lake District after all," Rowatt. * Click here to cast your vote . * You can re-visit all of the entries at www.northernlandscapes.n0tice.com .