Staff Photography Competition winners announced

An image of graduates at a congregation ceremony and a picture of champagne glasses at the College’s Quincentenary event are the winning entries for the inaugural Staff Photography Competition, which took place in November at St John’s College.

Fay Page, Student Services Officer, won first prize in the St John’s Staff Photography Competition 2016, with Paul Everest, Biographical Assistant, taking the award for second place.

'Graduands in the Hood', Fay PageThe competition was open to all members of staff, and the theme was ‘celebration’, which could be interpreted however the photographer chose. Fay won £100 for her photograph ‘Graduands in the Hood’, a picture of a congregation ceremony in the Old Divinity School. Paul’s photo, ‘Pouring Glass’, which was taken at the Quincentenary of the opening of St John’s, won him £50.

The entries were judged by a panel comprising three retired members of staff: Maggie Hartley, former College Nurse; Sheila Smith, previously the Senior Tutor’s Assistant; and Mike Finch, the former Deputy Superintendent of Buildings.

“I’m a complete novice with regards to photography and I’ve never entered a photo competition before so it was a complete surprise to win,” Fay said. “The photo was taken at the MA congregation on 14 May 2016. The atmosphere on the day was great as it was the first time in six years that this group of students had been reunited. I’d never been involved in organising such a big event before, so when I took the photo it was all about capturing the moment for my own memory bank.”

This is the first time that a photography competition has been held for staff, and it was modelled on the annual Student Art and Photography Competition. The trial has proven to be popular and successful in its own right, with many staff members submitting photographs. The judges were impressed with the high standard of the entries, which included photographs of wedding rings, the Edinburgh Festival, the beauty of nature, and a celebration of the seasons.

'Pouring Glass', Paul EverestOn winning second prize, Paul Everest said, “I was surprised, though obviously happy, to sneak into second place. I struggled with the theme somewhat; even though the photo was taken at the celebration of the Quincentenary of the opening of the College in July 2016, I wasn’t sure if it would be too abstract to fit. I’d like to thank the College for running this competition – it’s nice to have something like this just for staff, and given how much time I spend wandering about College with my camera, it would have been silly not to enter! Hopefully this can become a regular thing and even more people will feel inspired to participate.”

All photographs entered into the Staff Photography Competition will be on display in the Library Exhibition Area until 16 January 2017; the exhibition can be viewed during normal Library opening hours.