The winners of the 2008 Nikon Discovery Awards have been announced. Gina Brocker of University of Wales, Newport, was named as the Grand Prize Winner at an awards ceremony in Olympia, London, winning £5000 plus a D300 camera kit. The Nikon Discovery Awards, in association with British Journal of Photography, was set up two years ago to encourage photographic excellence by offering students and their universities or colleges.

Nikon UK Press Release

NIKON DISCOVERS BURGEONING TALENT

Gina Brocker of University of Wales, Newport, was last night named as the Grand Prize Winner at Nikon’s prestigious photographic Discovery Awards, held at Olympia, London.

With her outstanding portfolio submission, Gina Brocker competed against 24 other students from around the UK and Ireland and won the coveted £5000 plus a D300 camera kit awarded by Nikon UK, as part of an initiative the company set up to seek out and support emerging photographic talent around the UK.

In addition, twenty four students from each of the participating universities and colleges also picked up a D300 camera kit in recognition of their work. At the judges’ discretion Laura Pannack of University of Brighton and Elliot Wilcox of the University of Wales, Newport also received a £300 Judges Award for their efforts. A full list of the winners can be found below.

The Nikon Discovery Awards, in association with British Journal of Photography, was set up two years ago to encourage photographic excellence by offering students and their universities or colleges the chance to win a share of £50,000 worth of prizes. After a successful first year and an outstanding array of entries, the competition made a strong comeback this year to support and celebrate the work of students across the UK and Ireland by providing them with a platform to showcase their work on a national scale.

The competition entries were judged by an impressive array of photographic names, including Simon Bainbridge, Editor of the British Journal of Photography, and Dylan Martinez, chief photographer at Reuters News Pictures.  Presenting the awards on the night was renowned photographer Alex Bailey, who is known for shooting big budget film photography including titles such as Atonement, The Other Boleyn Girl and Bridget Jones’s Diary. 

Chris Hoare, Professional Business Manager at Nikon UK says: “Nikon has always been keen to support the student photographer market, which is echoed in our work with the Academy Colleges on projects such as the Discovery Awards. Initiatives such as this help to develop up and coming talent break through into the commercial world of professional photography, and benefits the industry as a whole. ”

Simon Bainbridge, Editor of BJP says: ““We were really taken aback by the standard and diversity of the entries this year, which ranged from cutting-edge fashion imagery to tightly conceptualised portraiture. In the end, Gina’s photo essay stood out. It’s documentary storytelling at its best, on par with many of the great names to have emerged from the Newport photography course over the years.”

Gina Brocker’s winning portfolio, along with the 24 other shortlisted entrants will shortly be able to view at: http://www.nikon.co.uk/gallery

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