A view through the lens of a camera as someone takes a photo of a busy street. The words secondary school photography competition.

Secondary schools photography competition

This winter, we're inviting up-and-coming photographers from secondary schools across our 7 north London boroughs to get outdoors and snap a picture of Nature’s Resilience! 

Submissions will be open from 9am on 9 December 2024 and will close at 5pm on 30 January 2025.

The photos will be judged by a panel from the NLWA, with the winners being announced in February. 

What's on offer?

The winning photographer will be invited along with their teacher and families to an unveiling ceremony at EcoPark House, where their artwork will be professionally printed and hung on the wall for visitors to the facility to admire. 

They will also receive: 

  • An A2 framed print of their photograph for their school 
  • A smaller printed version to take home 
  • A £250 voucher for their school to spend on supplies or equipment of their choice 
  • A bag of reusable goodies 

The two runners up will also be invited with their teachers and families to the ceremony, where their work will be printed and displayed in a temporary exhibit. 

The brief: Nature's Resilience

Theme: capture the incredible ways in which nature reclaims space and demonstrates its resilience against human activity. This competition aims to highlight the beauty and strength of nature as it fights back and thrives, even in the face of challenges. 

Image
Two small plants growing through a crack in the pavement

Guidelines

Focus on scenes where nature is reclaiming urban spaces, such as plants growing through cracks in pavements, wildlife thriving in unexpected places, or landscapes recovering from human impact.

Emphasise the hopeful and inspiring aspects of nature’s resilience rather than its degradation. The winning entry will be on the wall in our new educational facility, so we want it to have a positive message! Show how nature can flourish! 

Ensure your photos are clear and well-composed. Pay attention to focus, exposure, and framing to create visually appealing images. 

Rules

  • Submissions must be made by the teacher on the students behalf via the Microsoft form on this page - (Link will be available on 9 December) 
  • Maximum of 5 entries per school 
  • Submissions must be in JPEG format and be at least 300dpi so that they can be printed 
  • Each submission must include the first name of the photographer, their year group, school and the title of their artwork
  • Please name your files with the school's postcode and the photographer's first name (eg: N154AQ_BEN) 
  • Photographs must be original and the students' own work 
  • Photographs must be in colour; no sepia or black and white submissions

For any questions, don't hesitate to contact our education team at education@nlwa.gov.uk 

Good luck!

 

*NLWA reserves the right to amend the prizes on offer.