Inspirational Spaces competition winner announced

Northumbria University has announced the winner of its ‘Inspirational Spaces’ photography competition.

To launch the University’s new Events and Conferencing campaign, Inspirational Spaces, the competition invited photographers to capture the region’s iconic landmarks and beautiful landscapes.

Oliver Batten, of Over and Above Photography, walked away with the first prize of £250 with his aerial shot of Tynemouth Castle and Priory.

Simon Greener, competition judge and photographer for NCJ Media, said: “Oliver’s entry captured such an unusual view of the castle and priory and the surrounding beach. I've walked past it tons of times with the kids, but you never see it like this.

“Lovely colours, lovely light. The shadows coming off the castle are great. It looks like a little island. So many of the North East's landmarks have been photographed so often, but it's not often someone captures one of them in a truly different way. This photographer has done that.”

Two more entrants were also highly commended, namely Tony McLaughlin and his image of artistic land sculpture, ‘Northumberlandia’, and a Northumbria University employee, Project Officer Gareth Slavin, who caught the judge’s attention with an alternative view of the Quayside’s iconic bridges.

Lucy Winskell, Pro Vice-Chancellor, Business and Engagement at Northumbria University, said: “Our Events and Conferencing team not only promote the fantastic facilities and spaces that we have available on our campuses, they also work closely with key partners, including NewcastleGateshead Initiative, to raise the profile of the region as a whole to event organisers.

“The Inspirational Spaces photo competition was a great way to showcase everything our region has to offer – and we’ve been thrilled with the number and quality of entries that have come flooding in since its launch in May. We’re very proud to live and work in the north east, and we’re always pleased to welcome scores of students from across the globe every year to the UK’s number one student city.”

To view Northumbria University’s own Inspirational Spaces photography by Dan Prince, and to find out more about the University’s full event management service, log onto www.inspirational-spaces.com. Alternatively, the events team can be contacted directly on 0191 227 4024.

Date posted: June 25, 2013