Melbourne Pixel Prize overall winner, Nathan Shanks (centre), with Professor Margot Hillel OAM (left), Acting Dean of Arts and Sciences, and Professor Chris Sheargold, Associate Vice Chancellor Melbourne Campus. Brisbane Pixel Prize overall winner, Christine Conlon with her winning entry (right)

The Pixel Prize photography competition

The first ACU Pixel Prize awards nights were recently held at the Melbourne and Brisbane Campuses, with an event to follow at the Strathfield Campus next week.

The Pixel Prize is a photography competition open to high school students in Queensland, Victoria and NSW. This year’s theme was ‘Unity’.

Year 11 student Nathan Shanks was the overall winner in Melbourne for his striking image of two older people, snapped at a 21st birthday party.

In Brisbane, Year 12 student Christine Conlon from the Brisbane School of Distance Education, was named the overall winner for her sophisticated image of two old friends on a jetty.

Professor Margot Hillel OAM, Acting Dean of Arts and Sciences and Melbourne competition judge said: “Unlike many of us who use photography simply as a way of recording memories, these young people have embraced photography as an art form.”

“In doing so, they are able to take the seemingly ordinary and make it interesting, visually arresting and new. They are able to take and create the extraordinary and make it accessible,” said Professor Hillel.

Successful entrants will share in a national prize pool of over $5000 (including $1000 for first prize), attend the awards night, and have their winning entry featured in The Pixel Prize Exhibition.

Nationally the competition received over 380 entries.

Competition organiser, Alex Brisbane, said he was impressed with the fantastic response and high quality submissions.

“Getting your work seen by other photographers, the public and people in the industry is a very important step in pursuing photography as a career or serious hobby,” he said.

The Melbourne and Brisbane Pixel Prize Exhibitions will be on display over the next few weeks. All are welcome.

For more information please visit www.thepixelprize.com.au