Photography News issue 22

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Photography News Issue 22 absolutephoto.com

Competition

Interview Going for green The Environmental Photographer of the Year competition was established by water management firm CIWEM, and CEO Nigel Hendley tells us more of how it has evolved over the years

Above UttamKamati’s Watering Melon was awarded the top prize at 2015’s Atkins EPOTY competition.

Take us back to the roots of the competition, why and what did you set about to create? WelaunchedtheEnvironmentalPhotographer of the Year (EPOTY) competition in 2007. Our aim is to raise awareness and understanding of global environmental issues through the promotion of stunning photographic images. Our ambition is to encourage amateur and professional photographers of all ages to share photos that demonstrate the causes, consequences and solutions to some of our biggest water and environmental challenges – an integral part of our Royal Charter. Atkins, our sponsors, strongly share that ambition. What do you hope to achieve with it and what have you achieved so far? We have already attracted entrants, as we had hoped, from all over the world. This year over 10,000 images were submitted. Some of the environmental concerns we are

highlighting, in particular climate change, can be quite abstract and difficult to explain to people. A picture can paint a thousand words and the entrants have done awonderful job in interpreting these issues. As well as exhibiting the best entries in London and at Forestry Commission sites all over the UK, we are exploring howwe can promote the best entries in international centres as well. How did you come to get involved with the EPOTY competition? The competition was launched in the same year as CIWEM’s Arts and Environment network. The network aims to promote more creativity at the heart of environmental policy, as well as action to overcome today’s environmental challenges. Nick Reeves, our executive director at that time, was a trained artist and recognised the potential in using art to help us achieve our Royal Charter public

benefits to “advance the science and practice of water and environmental management”.

What do you most enjoy about working on this competition in particular? As a keen amateur photographer myself, I truly admire those who produce the amazingly creative artwork entered. It is inspiring to see the quality and numbers of entries submitted. We have many of the previous years’ images around our office in Saffron Hill, Farringdon, as a visual reminder of what we and our almost 10,000 members are working to achieve. Whatkindsof sightsdoyouhopepeoplewill share with you through the competition? We like to see a broad spectrum of images that reflect the issues we face both in developing countries and in more industrialised nations. Often the problems experienced in

The environmental concerns we are highlighting, in particular climate change, can be quite abstract and difficult to explain to people

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