A new photographic competition will be launched this Friday by Icon Water as part of the Floriade Reimagined festival, with cash prizes to be won.
The competition is open to people who live in the ACT or Queanbeyan-Palerang region, and each person can enter up to three photos at the Icon Water website.
There will be four prizes of offer, a Major Prize of $2,000, Best Over 18s Photo, Best Under 18s Photo, and a People’s Choice Award, all of which attract prize money of $1,000.
Photographs must be entered under at least one of the three themes: Water, Our Most Precious Resource; Water, the Environment and/or Animals; and Floriade Blooms in Canberra.
“We’ve been supporting this year’s take on Floriade by providing recycled water for the community gardens which have been planted right across Canberra, instead of their usual location in Commonwealth Park” said Icon Water General Manager of Customer Engagement Davina McCormick.
“We’ve been patiently waiting for the bulbs to bloom, and we know the rest of Canberra has too. We thought this would be a great opportunity to celebrate Floriade’s new format, and to raise awareness of water conservation, and remind everyone how important it is to care for our water,” she said.
A distinguished panel of judges will choose from a shortlist of 30 images, which will all be posted on the Icon Water Instagram account. The photo which receives the most likes, shares, and comments from 10 to 17 November will win the People’s Choice Award.
Judging the competition will be Icon Water managing director Ray Hezkial, photographer Hilary Wardhaugh, Visabel managing director Vickii Cotter, and animator and effects artist Dr Kit Devine.
Hilary Wardhaugh is a long-time career professional photographer based in the Queanbeyan Canberra region; Vickii Cotter is the managing director of Visabel, a full-service festival and event project management consultancy company, and the face behind the Enlighten Festival and Floriade; and Dr Kit Devine has worked for 20 years in Sydney, London and Los Angeles as an animator and effects artist for film and television.
“We’re encouraging everyone to enter,” said Ms McCormick.
“It doesn’t matter what level your photography skills are, there are so many opportunities around our beautiful city to capture that prize-winning shot, and it’s a great time of year to get out and enjoy spring in the capital.”
The first winner to be chosen will be the major prize of $2000, which is the top photograph out of all of the 30 shortlisted entries. The competition team at Icon Water will then separate the remaining 29 entries into over 18 and under 18s categories, and the judges will pick the top entry for each category.
For terms and conditions, and instructions on how to enter, photographers should visit the Icon Water Photo Comp page.
The competition launches on Friday, 11 September, with entries open from Saturday to coincide with the start of Floriade Reimagined. Entries close on Saturday, 31 October.
Winners will be announced on the Icon Water’s website and Instagram, and by email.