Olympus Press Release 04/12/03
RSPCA Young Photographer Awards 2003
28 Talented Youngsters Shortlisted!

Twenty-eight budding young photographers from all over the UK have been shortlisted for a prize in the RSPCA Young Photographer Awards 2003, sponsored by Olympus Cameras and Truprint.

From household pets, creepy crawlies and farm animals, to hippos and swooping seagulls ? the variety of pictures entered this year has never been more diverse. For the first time the awards ceremony will be held at the prestigious Spencer Gallery at the Natural History Museum in London on Thursday, 11th December, where all 34 stunning photographs will be unveiled and the names of the winners announced.     

This year 8,000 entries were received, making the competition the most hotly contested yet. The judging was extremely difficult as the quality and standard of photos entered was particularly high in both age groups.

Entries were divided into two different age groups - under 12s and 12 to 18s. The overall winner will receive an Olympus Mju 300 digital camera and a ?250 cash prize from Truprint. Winners from each age group will be given an Olympus Mju V compact camera and ?100 from Truprint. In addition, eight runners-up will each get an Olympus Mju III 100 compact camera and ?50 from Truprint. The winning photos will then be displayed at Tootsies, Old Brompton Road, London until the end of January 2004.

Television presenter and wildlife photographer Chris Packham is a long-serving supporter of the awards and joined the judging panel again this year: ?It remains a peculiarity of this competition that the final set of photos are always very strong and make a powerful exhibition.  I think this is because the competition gives the kids a lot of scope. The subject can be any animal and they respond very well to this with a wide range of farm animals, wild animals and pets.?