National photo competition winners put industry in focus

More than 40 inspiring images from photographers across the UK were shortlisted this year, making competition particularly fierce.

The Best Professional Photographer award – sponsored by Canon – was snapped up by Mike Smith, from Newcastle, for his image of a seafloor production tool manufactured by Soil Machine Dynamics.

Smith is now a triple award-winner, having previously won the competition in both 2012 and 2013.

The coveted Best Amateur Photographer award was won by Sheffield’s Mark Tomlinson for his dramatic shot of work being undertaken at Sheffield Forgemasters.

Tomlinson too is no stranger to success, having won the same award back in 2010 and 2011.

The hotly-contended Best Young Photographer award went to Jake Silverstone – aged 16, from Barnet in London – for his image of two iconic London routemaster buses, which had been manufactured half a century apart from each other.

All three photographers found out that they had won during the special ceremony in the House of Commons last Thursday (December 10).

They now share a prize of £5,000 worth of Canon photography equipment.

Now in its sixth year, the competition aims to raise the profile of British manufacturing by showcasing the industry’s creativity, diversity and heritage through inspiring photography.

Chief executive of EEF, Terry Scuoler commented: “Manufacturing offers countless opportunities for intriguing and eye-catching images.

“The challenge is to capture the sector in a compelling shot that makes people think about modern manufacturing in a new way. This year’s winners have certainly achieved that and fully deserve to have won their awards.”

Head of Lombard, Ian Isaac added: “The standard of images in this competition gets better and better every year.

“This year’s winners have challenged our perceptions and demonstrated the creativity and diversity of industry. They should be congratulated on their success.”