Big River Power Photographic Competition winners

2003 Mighty River Power Photographic Competition winners announced

A unique perspective of the Waikato-Taupo region is the common theme among winners in the 2003 Mighty River Power Photographic Competition.

Diverse images from a weather-beaten shed to a portrait on a sofa are among the major winners in this year's event.

More than 170 people entered the competition, which was open to secondary and tertiary students and non-professional photographers across four themes: landscape, documentary, portraiture and contemporary.

The winning entries were announced last night at the competition awards evening in Hamilton. Taumarunui High School's Apolline Hutchings was the overall winner of the Secondary section with a picture of a refrigerator door cluttered with personal mementos.

The prize capped a successful night for Taumarunui High School, which won five out of nine prizes presented in the Secondary section.

Henry Jen's shot of a ghostly figure in front of a weather-beaten shed won the overall prize for the Tertiary section, while Ngaruawahia's Johnny Bell won the Non-professional section with a picture including the combination of his father, a sofa and an old portrait.

Mighty River Power General Manager External Affairs Neil Williams says the competition asked entrants to submit photographs that explored aspects of the Waikato-Taupo region or its people.

"We're delighted with the competition, as it succeeded in capturing the regions Mighty River Power is closely associated with," Mr Williams says.

Photographers Natalie Robertson and Patrick Reynolds, Waikato Museum Fine Arts Curator John Hurrell and Lake Taupo Museum and Art Gallery Director Karen Williams judged this year's entries.

The panel says the competition entrants have again set benchmarks in terms of standards and images.

"The first year of competition saw a high standard of entries, and then this has been further improved on as entrants sought to set new benchmarks in amateur photography," the panel says.

Winning entries will be exhibited at venues around the region early next year, including the Lake Taupo Museum and Art Gallery in Taupo from 11 March 2004 to 24 March 2004, and Arts Post in Hamilton from 27 March 2004 to 16 April 2004.

A full list of winners is below:

PORTRAITURE

DOCUMENTARY

CONTEMPORARY

LANDSCAPE

SECONDARY

Overall Winner:

Apolline Hutchings Taumarunui High School

(For Documentary Entry)

Winner

Libby O'Brien Tauhara College, Taupo

Runner-up

Holly Stevenson Taumarunui High School

Winner

Apolline Hutchings Taumarunui High School

Runner-up

Michael Jones Home schooled, Hamilton

Winner

Holly Stevenson Taumarunui High School

Runner-up

Gina Smith Cambridge High School

Winner

Gavin Lodge Melville High School

Runner-up

Sarah Ryan Taumarunui High School

TERTIARY

Overall Winner:

Henry Jen UNITEC

(For Contemporary Entry)

Winner

Jeremy Senior WINTEC

Runner-up

Liana Gardner WINTEC

Winner

Henry Jen UNITEC

Runner-up

Simon Madill WINTEC

Winner

Henry Jen UNITEC

Runner-up

Pam Tapp WINTEC

Winner

Claire Thatcher Massey University

Runner-up

Rebecca Bruning Massey University

NON-PROFESSIONAL

Overall Winner:

Johnny Bell Ngaruawahia

(For Portraiture Entry)

Winner

Johnny Bell Ngaruawahia

Runner-up

Aaron Bold Taupo

Winner

Carein Chan Hamilton

Runner-up

Dennis O'Neil Matamata

Winner

Tania King Te Awamutu

Runner-up

Anne Kalnins Hamilton

Winner

Des Brough Wellington

Runner-up

Neil Finlay Auckland

WAIKATO TIMES AWARD

Overall Winner:

Neil Finlay

(For Landscape Entry)

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