‘Dodging fur seals’ lead to photo competition win

25 March 2009

‘Dodging fur seals’ lead to photo competition win

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Dodging with fur seals By Mark Armstrong

The winners of the 2009 Ministry of Fisheries photography competition have been announced. Mark Armstrong, from Waihi, was chosen as the overall winner of the competition with his picture ‘Dodging with fur seals’. This picture of fur seals playing beside a trawler hurtling through 50 knot winds was also the winner of the commercial category.

More than 200 entries were submitted to the competition, where entrants were asked to capture images that celebrate their connection with the sea and fishing.

The other category winners were Chris Read, from Queenstown whose image of whitebaiting on the West Coast won the recreational category. Himiona Grace from Paekakariki took out the customary category with her image ’Tio, Pipi, Tuangi’. The aquatic ecosystems category: Shane Wasik from Mount Maunganui, with his picture ‘natural camouflage’ – a flounder disguised on the seafloor.

“The entries submitted to the competition were of very high calibre and captured the special relationship New Zealanders have with fishing,” says Ministry of Fisheries Chief Executive Wayne McNee. “The judges had a very difficult decision. We thank everyone who entered the competition.”

Judges included Ross Giblin from Wellington’s Dominion Post; Athol McCredie, Curator of Photography at Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa; and Simon Woolf, a well-known Wellington photographer.

Category winners each received a voucher for $1000 of photography gear, and the overall winner also received an additional $1000 voucher.

To view the winning entries and those recognised as highly commended, visit www.fish.govt.nz

ENDS

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