A photography competition called "2007 Beijing, The Olympic City Through the Camera" was launched outside the National Museum to mark the start of the 500 day countdown to the games on March 27.

The competition has been held every year since it was first launched in 2005. The Beijing Tourism Administration, Beijing Government News Office and Beijing Foreign Cultural Exchanges Center host it.

More than 20,000 high quality pictures that vividly depict Beijing life and streetscapes have been submitted to the competition in the past two years. People from all over the world have participated, including the U.S, Australia, Sweden, Malaysia, Japan, Switzerland, England, New Zealand and South Korea.

This year, special cars will escort aspiring photographers to world heritage sites, traditional hutong alleyways and the Olympic stadiums to help them gain a deeper understanding of the city.

The competition results will be announced on the day that marks the one year countdown to the Olympics, August 8, 2007.