Finding the photographers of the future

City & Guilds holds competition and exhibition for photographers of the future

City & Guilds has recently held a competition for those who have been working towards its Photo Imaging qualifications. The talents of the winners and runners-up will be celebrated at an exhibition of their work at the Morley Gallery, London, from 21 - 26 July.

Now in its second year, the competition saw over 300 applicants, all competing for the chance to have their work displayed. The exhibition will present a varied collection, from documentary and portrait to landscape and still life.

It's a great chance to celebrate the learners' hard work and commitment to their courses.

One of the judges for the competition was the highly respected photographer, writer and curator, Aaron Schuman. Having featured in the likes of Aperture, ArtReview, The Sunday Times and The Guardian, he understands what might separate a good photograph from a great one: 'The photographer Walker Evans once wrote, ''[Photography] is the capture and projection of the delights of seeing; it is the defining of observation full and felt'. That's what I was looking for - and judging from the standard of work in this year's competition, these are things that the City & Guilds qualifications seem to inspire. I'm sure that many of those who entered have a bright future in photography ahead of them'.

This year's exhibition at the Morley Gallery - part of Morley College - will be open to the public between 10am and 5pm on weekdays, and between 12pm and 4pm on Saturday. It's guaranteed to be an inspiring and uplifting event that fans of art and photography alike can enjoy. A private view will also be held on 22 July for the winners, runners up, tutors and invited guests.

In total, there were three overall winners of the competition - one for each course level. For level one, the winner was Sam Scargill; for level two it was Darren Flynn; and for level three it was Andy Simon. There were also two runners up for each category.

Speaking to City & Guilds, Darren shared his thoughts on winning: 'I was shocked and stunned when I found out I had won the competition - I never thought I'd even be placed, let alone win! I spent the day with a huge smile on my face and I'm so proud. I have always liked taking photos, and I realised I needed to learn more about photography when I upgraded my camera. I signed up to a City & Guilds course, which is run by a group of people whose enthusiasm for photography is infectious. I have never looked back, and I have already applied for the City & Guilds level 3 course in September'.

Kerry Mclennan-Mckenzie, Photo Imaging Product Manager at City & Guilds stated: 'this year's competition has had a lot of entries, and we've been extremely impressed at the high calibre of work. It has been a great opportunity for learners to use their imagination and unleash their creative talent, and I think that visitors to the exhibition will be amazed and inspired by the photography.

Something like this just goes to show how passionate people are about their courses, and we're thrilled and proud to have helped the tutors enable our learners to achieve that'.

City & Guilds wants to inspire young people everywhere to unleash their talents and be the best they can possibly be. City & Guilds offer a variety of qualifications in Photo Imaging for all budding photographers, as well as for those who want to improve their photography skills.

For further information, please contact the City & Guilds' Press Office:

Christine Richardson
T: 020 7294 8054
E: Christine.Richardson@cityandguilds.com

Nicola Garvey
T: 020 7294 3437
E: Nicola.Garvey@cityandguilds.com

Notes to editor

• City & Guilds is the UK's leading awarding vocational education organisation.
• Approximately 1.8 million people are currently working towards a City & Guilds qualification in the UK and Ireland.
• The City & Guilds winners for the 2010 photography competition are:
  Level 1: Sam Scargill from Trealor College in Alton, Hampshire
  Level 2: Darren Flynn from Calat College, Croydon
  Level 3: Andy Simon from Birmingham Metropolitan College

• Vocational qualifications have an emphasis on the assessment of practical skills and knowledge to cover a wide range of subjects, from agriculture to accountancy, business to beauty and care work to construction.
• The City & Guilds Group operates from three major hubs: London (servicing Europe, the Caribbean and Americas), Johannesburg (servicing Africa), and Singapore (servicing Asia, Australia and New Zealand).
• The City & Guilds Group comprises of the Institute of Leadership & Management (management and leadership qualifications), NPTC (land-based qualifications), and the Centre for Skills Development (not-for-profit research and development organisation).