Last year, Canon Australia launched the Canon Light Awards (CLA), a series of monthly creative photography challenges exclusive for Canon camera users in Australia. After thousands of submissions to the 12 briefs set by renowned judges through 2015, NSW’s Alistair McBurnie and WA’s Benn Tudor Roberts have been crowned the Grand Final winners across the Open and Student categories respectively. Alistair and Benn were selected from 24 finalists who converged in Sydney for Canon Light Awards 2015’s Grand Final Award Ceremony at SUNSTUDIOS over the weekend.
Created by photographers for photographers, Canon Light Awards encourages everyone from hobbyists to professionals to push the boundaries of their imagination, craft and skill – an element that truly shone through all the 24 winning submissions across the Open and Student categories last year. As 2015’s Grand Final winners, Alistair and Benn have been awarded a trip for two each to Namibia with the Canon Collective, to be part of an ultimate photography safari alongside three professional photographers and access to the best of Canon’s high performance equipment.
“This win has honestly been one of the most surreal experiences of my life. I’d taken this picture on a lifeless, foggy day in France – a trip we saved for years to take as a birthday present for my wife – and we waited ages for the rower to reach that spot in the lake we were walking by. I never thought such a simple image could win the competition (the first one I’ve ever entered), let alone the Grand Final! As a photography enthusiast myself, I really urge everyone to try their hand at the Canon Light Awards as it’s open to truly anybody, not just the pros. This experience has been as amazing as it is humbling for me, and I really hope I can pay it forward to other photography lovers out there,” said NSW-based hobbyist photographer Alistair McBurnie, who topped 2015’s Open Category for his image Rower, submitted for Krystle Wright’s brief on The Bigger Picture.
“It’s been so awesome meeting all the Canon Light Awards finalists from across the country as we got to see each other’s work, and being able to interact with the impressive Canon Masters themselves was a treat too. My picture of the 156 leaves making up the tree of life was inspired by nature, so I’m incredibly excited to experience the wildlife and culture on the African Safari. My mom doesn’t know this yet but I’m thinking of taking her along for the adventure!” said WA-based Curtin University student Benn Tudor Roberts, who topped 2015’s Student Category for his image 156, submitted for Jackie Ranken’s brief on High Key.
Highlights from Canon Light Awards 2015
The monthly photography competition saw briefs being set by Canon Masters and Ambassadors. Each month, the two winners and four finalists across the Open and Student categories received detailed feedback and advice on their submissions, in line with Canon’s aim to nurture Australians’ photography aspirations and visual storytelling skills.
Beside the Grand Final winner, Canon also celebrates Alison Stewart and Daisie Bindoff, both of whom won in their respective categories twice through the year:
Alison Stewart (Open Category)
- 1st place for her image Catching Dust Fairies, for November’s brief on Natural Light, captured with a Canon EOS 6D
- 1st place for her image Three Generations of Chopsticks, for December’s brief on True Spirit of Family, captured with a Canon EOS 6D
Daisie Bindoff (Student Category)
- 1st place for her image The Bluff, for April’s brief on The Bigger Picture, captured with a Canon PowerShot S110
- 1st place for her image Grandma, for December’s brief on True Spirit of Family, captured with a Canon EOS 5D Mark III
“Our aim when we launched the Canon Light Awards was to nurture Australians’ love for photography with the ultimate program for inspiration, experimentation and growth. Each month, we are swept off our feet by the sheer number of ways the briefs are interpreted and expressed by photographers, whether they are still studying, or if they are actively pursuing a photography career,“ said Jason McLean, Director – Consumer Imaging, Canon Australia.
“We wish Alistair and Benn the very best for their African photography Safari and look forward to seeing their amazing photographs come September. In the meantime, aspiring participants can look forward to a refreshed format for the Canon Light Awards from next month, promising more unique experiences for 2016!”
A full gallery of high-res winning submissions is also available for download via http://bit.ly/1mVQ4qs
For more information on CLA, and should you or your community want to get involved, do spread the word and check out http://lightawards.canon.com.au/
For further information, please contact Ogilvy PR on
[email protected]
About the Canon Light Awards
Created by photographers, for photographers, the Canon Light Awards encourage all creative shooters to push the boundaries of their imagination, craft and skill by responding to a creative brief with powerful images that tell a story. With a new challenge set every month by Canon Master Photographers, CLA is designed to help Canon camera users to achieve their photography creative potential.
As a one-of-a-kind competition in Australia, the Canon Light Awards offer entrants a total prize pool worth over $150,000, which includes prizes for monthly winners and the grand prize of a luxury photo safari for two in Africa for each category winner. The winners also receive personalised feedback from Canon Master Photographers to help extend their photography aspirations.
Close
