Winners announced for faith-based photography competition
As part of inter-faith week, the winners have been announced for the Faith Through a Lens photography competition.
Celebrating the practical contribution that faith groups make in communities
This annual competition uses photographs to celebrate how faith is present in communities throughout the country.
A panel of judges, headed by award-winning photographer Don McCullin, chose the winning photographs from 3 categories which were: moments of faith, community spirit against the odds and A Year of Service.
A Year of Service, supported by the department, was a new category included in the competition this year. It aims to celebrate social action and to mark the practical contribution that faith groups make within their neighbourhoods to improve the lives of those around them.
Each faith in turn has hosted a day, or days, of volunteering throughout the year and those taking part were encouraged to send in photos that captured the inter-faith volunteering projects they had been involved in.
Communities Secretary Eric Pickles said:
“They say a picture is worth a thousand words and I was delighted to see A Year of Service really come alive in some terrific photos that perfectly captured the strength of our faith communities and the commitment they make to their neighbourhoods.
“This has been a memorable year of social action so thank you to all the budding photographers who entered and congratulations to the winners.”
Faith Minister Baroness Warsi said:
“These photos really illustrate what can be achieved when communities join together, so it was fantastic to see all of the photographs that were submitted for the competition.
“Thank you to all those who took part, it is great to have a permanent record of A Year of Service events - here’s to another successful year of faith volunteering and social action.”
The winning photograph for A Year of Service was entitled ‘There but for the Grace of God’ and was taken to coincide with the theme of giving during the Harvest Festival.
'There but for the Grace of God'. Picture: Rob Boler
This photograph and the other winners and finalists in the competition can be found on the awards and highlights section of the Faith Through a Lens website.
Baroness Warsi was speaking at the Coin Street Neighbourhood centre where she gave a key note address at Together in Service, a national celebration for A Year of Service. The event, organised by the department was opened by Communities Minister Don Foster.
Attendees including faith leaders and representatives of faith-based organisations, were also invited to contribute to a piece of art work which will be donated to the Evelina Children’s Hospital, a part of Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust.
Baroness Warsi with the painting to be donated to Evelina Children’s Hospital
The scene includes 9 children planting a peace garden - each of the children representing 9 different faith groups. Attendees of the celebration were invited to create flowers which are included in the garden.
Photos of the Together in Service event are available from the DCLG Flickr channel.
Find out more about A Year of Service.