Creative suggestions are being sought to help protect a remote memorial to north-east soldiers from being damaged by livestock.
The Cabrach community was devastated by World War I, as most males who went off to fight did not return from the battlefield.
The area itself has been described by historians as “the biggest war memorial in Europe” due to the excessive loss of young lives it experienced.
Two years ago, residents pulled together to create a monument in tribute to those who died in conflict.
Cabrach Cairn is on the edge of land owned by the Cabrach Trust, and now the organisation has launched a design competition to create gates to protect the modest structure from farm animals.
Executive director of the Cabrach Trust, Sue Savege, explained the need to safeguard the sacred spot.
She said: “The Cabrach Cairn is visible to everyone who passes this way, it is a beautiful tribute to those who did not return home from war.
“With magnificent views of the surrounding hills, the small park where the cairn is located provides a peaceful place to sit and contemplate.
“However, we need to prevent it being damaged and have decided to install a set of metal gates which are sustainable, weather proof and both sympathetic to the natural environment and in keeping with the sentiments of the cairn.”
The design contest is being run in conjunction with the Cabrach Community Association, and is open to amateur and professional artists.
The winner will be invited to work with the Cabrach Trust and an artisan metal worker to finalise their design and make the gates.
The Cabrach had a population of around 1,000 in the early 1900s.
But that number was slashed dramatically during World War I, leaving crofts and steadings abandoned across the region.
Locals enlisted stone-waller Euan Thompson to create the memorial cairn in 2015.
He used stones from the local fields and placed them on top of each other to build the monument.
The Cabrach Trust has launched £5.3million plans to rejuvenate the area by building a whisky distillery and visitor centre at an abandoned farm.
The gates must be stock-proof, to keep sheep out, self-closing, easily accessible and 5ft wide.
More information is available by emailing hello@cabrachtrust.org