Politicians Exposed at Jessops’ Annual Photographic Competition
Leicester, 21st April 2009 – For the seventh year running, the nation’s politicians are putting their photographic skills to the test. Lords and MPs from across the country have entered the Jessops All-Party Photographic Competition, submitting a record-breaking number of images to be judged by leading figures in the photographic industry.
This year’s MPs in opposition include Tim Loughton with ‘Does My Head Look Big in This?’, Hugh Bayley with ‘Waiting for Obama’, John Austin with ‘That’s My Apple’ and Alison Seabeck with ‘Synchronised Ducks’. Other familiar faces in focus include Secretary of State for Transport, Geoff Hoon MP, and the All-Party Photography Group Chair, Austin Mitchell MP.
Peers including Lord Healey and Baroness Cox have also stepped up to the challenge this year, as have last year’s winners Lord Crathorne with ‘A Helping Hand’ and Lord Robertson with ‘Contrasts in Moscow’.
Politicians were invited to submit up to ten images of their choosing from their political and personal lives. The resulting entries spanned subjects from brides to babies and carnivals to Colonel Gaddafi. For the first time, this year also witnessed the addition of a ‘Constituency’ category, where politicians were invited to submit images that best define their constituency or for peers, their areas of origin.
Jessops Head of Marketing, Karen Lamerick, commented “The Jessops All-Party Parliamentary Photographic Competition is a wonderful demonstration of how photography can be enjoyed and celebrated by people from all walks of life. Our continued sponsorship of competitions such as these represents Jessops’ commitment to inspiring individuals to share their passion for photography with others. This competition is particularly fascinating as rarely are we given access to the world as our politicians view it. I am certain the resulting images will be intriguing and will give constituents an insight into the lives and work of the people who represent them.”
Of the record-breaking number of images submitted, eight Judges’ Choice images will win a £100 bursary, which will be donated to Jessops’ charitable partner, Barnardo’s which works with abused, vulnerable, forgotten and neglected young people across the UK.
The winning politicians will be announced at the opening of the All-Party Photographic Exhibition on 27th April 2009 in the Upper Waiting Hall at the House of Commons. The exhibition will be open for public viewing from 28th April 2009, first in the House of Commons and then in the House of Lords.
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