The Parks Trust, the self-funding charity that looks after over 6,000 acres of green space across Milton Keynes, has announced the winners of its 2018 Photography Competition.
With over 160 entries received from people across the city, the contest was tougher than ever before. Entries were made into three categories; parklife, wildlife and landscape; with youth and adult sections.
For each category, a winner and a runner-up were chosen. An overall winner for the whole competition was then chosen.
Graham Parsons was the overall winner, chosen for his stunning image of a male Common Darter dragonfly, taken at Howe Park Wood.
The competition shortlist was whittled down by an expert panel of judges including Stephen Miller and Don Byatt from New City Photography Society, alongside The Parks Trust’s Events & Community Engagement Manager Julie Dawes and Senior Biodiversity Officer Martin Kincaid.
Julie commented: “We would like to thank everyone who entered our 2018 Photography Competition – it was wonderful to see so many beautiful images of our parkland and the city’s varied wildlife.”
“We were hugely impressed by the quality of the photos received, but Graham’s stood out immediately and was loved by everyone on the panel.”
“It takes real skill to get such a defined, clear photo of a dragonfly and he should be very proud of his efforts. Congratulations Graham!”
The winning and runner-up images from the competition will appear alongside a selection of shots taken by The Parks Trust staff members, at an exhibition at Milton Keynes Central Library.
The photos will be on display from the afternoon of Friday 14th September until early October.
The full list of winners for The Parks Trust’s 2018 Photography Competition is as follows:
Overall Adult Winner – Graham Parsons (Common Darter at Howe Park Wood)
Adult Landscape category winner – Tony Goode (Lodge Lake)
Adult Parklife category winner – Justin Long (Floodplain Forest)
Adult Wildlife category winner – Graham Parsons (Common Darter at Howe Park Wood)
Youth Landscape category winner – Conor Gallacher (Ouse Valley)
Youth Wildlife category winner – Ashley Long (Turkey Tail fungus, Linford Lakes Nature Reserve)
