After budding young photographers from all over Great Britain and Ireland submitted their photographs, the results for Rotary Young Photographer 2023 have finally been decided.
The Rotary Young Photographer competition gives participants the chance to express themselves through photography and interpret the competition’s annual brief in an imaginative way.
Each year, the participants are provided with a theme to focus on and this year the challenge was to produce one photograph based upon ‘The Beauty of Architecture’.
Local and district heats were organised by Rotary clubs from around Great Britain and Ireland before being whittled down to the selection that was submitted to this year’s judges of the national final.
2023’s national finalists were judged by Lily Brook, a previous Rotary Young Photographer winner from 2018, Helen Vidler, a cinematographer and director specialising in marketing and publicity, and Tony Sale, a professional wedding photographer with his own photography company.
Rotary Young Photographer is one of many youth competitions hosted by Rotary Great Britain and Ireland with the aim of helping young people express their talents in a competitive environment. You can find out about our other youth competitions here.
Take a look at this year’s outstanding winners:
Senior Category
1st – Kirsten Chan (Nominated by Rotary Club of Clifton)
“The skyscraper itself is just metal and glass; the stories that grow within it are up to us. All it takes is a “fresh” perspective. ” – Kirsten Chan
2nd – Charlie Semple (Nominated by The Rotary Club of Gourock)
“Viewing the architectural world around me is fascinating, especially when seeing cropped modern buildings featured against a bright sunlit sky. This image captures the simple beauty in the Glasgow ‘Armadillo’ building perfectly.” – Charlie Semple
3rd – Chloe Folkes (Nominated by Cambridge Rotary Club)
“It catches your eye with the imperfect surprising pattern. The way the image has captured the light on the building and the gradient, gives the effect of the building breathing, which has made something that could be quite mechanical looking feel beautiful.” – Rotary Young Photographer 2023 Judges
Intermediate Category
1st – Josh Clarke (Nominated by Berkhamsted Rotary Club)
“This image captures some really challenging modern dominating over historic architecture including the Walkie Talkie Building that reflected the sun’s rays in a harmful way when first built but is now loved by many.” – Josh Clarke
2nd – Niamh Donnachie (Nominated by The Rotary Club of Peebles)
“My dad had been to a concert in the Usher Hall in Edinburgh. They have a beautiful spiral staircase which I thought would be perfect for this years theme. My mum took me up one day and my photograph entitled “Stairway to Heaven” was taken by lying directly at the bottom of the stairs looking up towards the sky.” – Niamh Donnachie
3rd – Emily Bell (Nominated by Crickhowell Rotary Club)
“I believe my photograph has a strong connection to the theme because it shows the beautiful colours in the stained glass windows. The light emphasises this and the ornate details of the architecture.” – Emily Bell
Junior Category
1st – Harriet Price (Nominated by Bookham & Horsley Rotary Club)
“I liked the repetition of the columns and the beautiful curves of the ceiling. I also like the contrast between the light and the shade. It almost looks like an optical illusion.” – Harriet Price
2nd – Eliza Browne (Nominated by The Rotary Club of Ilkley Wharfedale)
“The old, mossy, tiny church was built by Ron for his grandchildren many years ago. We can see the fairies still visit and nature is making it more beautiful over the years.” – Eliza Browne
3rd – Harrison Robbie (Nominated by The Rotary Club of Bathgate)
“I’ve enjoyed seeing the sun in the evenings recently, so I thought about shiny water for my photo. We visited the Helix Park in Falkirk and realised that the big metal Kelpie structures were even shinier than water, and their shapes are quite like water too!” – Harrison Robbie
You kind find out more information about the next edition of Rotary Young Photographer in this information pack.
