Pictures capturing Macarthur’s natural beauty were celebrated at the annual Macarthur Nature Photography Competition awards presentation, held at Campbelltown Performing Arts High School last week.
The three Macarthur councils, Campbelltown, Camden and Wollondilly, host the annual competition, which showcases the region’s unique environmental landscape and aims to highlight the importance of respecting and protecting our natural areas.
The competition’s core themes of Waterways, Native Flora and Fauna, Nature Up Close and Environmental Impact were included again this year, across two age categories (Young People: 15 years and under; and Open: 16 years and over), and primary and high school categories.
Two new categories, Snap A Selfie and Hollows As Homes, were added this year.
Snap A Selfie encouraged entrants to take a snap of themselves getting into nature, while the images snapped for the Hollows As Homes category will be used as part of a study identifying the importance of hollows as habitat in urban and agricultural areas.
Mayor of Campbelltown, Cr George Brticevic, congratulated the competition winners, saying their entries captured the beauty of the Macarthur region’s natural environment.
“This year’s competition attracted more than 300 outstanding entries from budding photographers, seasoned snappers and nature lovers,” he said.
“Whatever their skill set, the Macarthur region’s pristine bushland, unspoilt waterways and prolific wildlife were clearly a great inspiration for the hundreds of entrants.
“Each year I look forward to seeing the photographs that Macarthur’s talented snappers produce for this competition – what an amazing way to showcase our region, to both our local residents and more widely.”
The competition had $5,000 in prizes on offer this year, the biggest prize pool in its history, thanks to competition sponsors Macarthur Camera House, Western Sydney University, Macarthur Square and Macarthur Centre for Sustainable Living.
People’s Choice winner Jack Beeby received a Panasonic camera valued at $300 from Macarthur Camera House and Panasonic, for his image titled Man created elegance.
Schools were also eligible to win a prize, thanks to the Macarthur Centre for Sustainable Living and Western Sydney University sponsoring two prize packages. Isabelle Brunero, from Campbelltown Public School, won the Primary School prize with her entry Strawflower, and Holly Driver, from John Therry Catholic High School, won the High School prize with her entry Bright Bloom.
Other prizes included:
$300 and a $100 Macarthur Square gift card for first place in each theme (open section);
$150 and a $100 gift card for first place in each theme (young people’s section);
$150 for second place in each theme (open section);
$75 for second place in each theme (young people’s section).
The Snap A Selfie winner received a $100 Macarthur Square gift card, while the Hollows as Homes winner received $100 cash and a family pass to Taronga Zoo.
To view the winning images online, visit the Macarthur Nature Photography Competition website here for the link to Council’s Flickr account.
Winning photographs from the annual Macarthur Nature Photography Competition will form part of a travelling exhibition across Macarthur, at locations including Narellan Library and the Wollondilly Council Administration Building at Picton.
Winners of the 2016 Macarthur Nature Photography Competition:
OPEN CATEGORY
Waterways
1st place: Silvia Grimm – Reflections on Water
2nd place: Brad Harris – Reflecting on Life
Native flora and fauna
1st place: Lyn Forbes – Attitude
2nd place: Edwin Lim – A Good Flap
Environmental Impact
1st place: Ashley Pearsall – Toy Story
2nd place: David Williams – Just Beneath the Surface
Nature Up Close
1st Place: Joel Anderson – Sugarbags
2nd Place: Glenn Smith – Light and Shadow
Hollows as Homes
Winner: Russel Brewty – Home
Snap a Selfie
Winner: Amanda Denny
YOUNG PEOPLE’S SECTION
Waterways
1st Place: Holly Driver – Waterfall
2nd Place: Vanessa Van der Mast – Reflective Trees
Native flora and fauna
1st Place: Holly Driver – Bright Bloom
2nd Place: Simone Roberts – Maiden Tears
Environmental Impact
1st Place: Damien Anbu – Please Don’t
2nd Place: Isabella McCrory – Our Earth as a Bin
Nature Up Close
1st Place: Isabelle Brunero – Strawflower
2nd Place: Isabelle Robertson – Bee Good
Primary School
Winner: Isabelle Brunero – Strawflower
High School
Winner: Holly Driver – Bright Bloom
PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD
Winner: Jack Beeby – Man created elegance
