And the winner is....me

Well finally I am allowed to reveal what I have known for a month, and that is that I was a winner in my employers - the Ministry of Justice - Annual National Photography competition. I didn't know exactly which photograph I had entered had won nor did I know what it had won.

However tonight was the night and all was revealed. A couple of friends, my colleagues Amy and Rachael, joined me in the foyer at the Ministry of Justice's head quarters for the awards ceremony. Fortunately for us that is also our building, so no travelling and no red carpet, no flash gowns and no paparazzi....I should be so lucky.

My Prizes

Firstly we milled around gobbled up some canapes, washed down with a glass of white wine, perfect after a hard days work, then before long what we had all been waiting for the winners were to be announced.

There were twelve overall categories, all to allow the winners to be published in a calendar for the 2010/11 year (orders will be taken....) and depending on the size of the entries per category there was a runner up and merit prizes. Out of an organisation with 95,000 employees (the MOJ is one of the largest government departments) there were 150 entries and the maxium number of entries per person was 3 photos. The photos were all judged by a team of professional photographers too.

Me with my prizes with photos behind me

Then slowly they, they being went through the catergries, the first category I had entered was "Concept of Beauty" and nothing... Shame as that really was a stunning photo from Cornwall. Later the category "Height of Summer" came up which was the next catergory I entered and I was quite shocked to find I was runner up, but glad too this was such a beautiful photo to me taken in the gardens at Buckingham Palace.

Runner Up - Buckingham Palace Garden

So listening away thinking thats that then, the final category comes up, "Winterwonderlands". There is no merit prize here, so the runner up is announced...not me...then Carolyn Downs calls my name. Oh my goodness. I had won. My night photograph of the London Winter Wonderland had won. I was a bit shocked but really happy, as I love taking my photographs and now they are officially recognised as being good.

Winner - Hyde Park Winter Wonderland

It wasn't all over, that same photo also came third in the peoples choice catergory too, which was announced a bit later.

So what's does that mean, well my photo is now included in the Ministry of Justice's 2010/11 calendar for December.....so who wants one, all proceeds will go to the Society for Pancreatic Cancer, but if you do want one its on me (friends and family only)!