Date: May 14

Venue: City Campus

National Assembly Presiding Officer Rosemary Butler AM visited the University of Wales, Newport’s City Campus to launch this unique drive to get more people in Wales involved in the political process.

The National Assembly for Wales’s inaugural photography competition, Democracy in Action encourages people to illustrate what the democratic process means to them through the art of photography.

The competition seeks images, from blurry phone shots, to more traditional pieces which capture the spirit of Welsh democracy and how issues can be overcome.
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“You don’t need to be a photographer or even have a camera – we’re as keen to see amateur action pictures taken with your phone as we are to look at images from a digital camera,” said Rosemary Butler AM.

“As long as they illustrate the power we have as Welsh citizens to change our country, send them in to us. As well as giving you the opportunity to win some great prizes, your photographs will add to an historical, visual record of Wales during this unique period in the history of Welsh devolution.”

The competition is being organised by the National Assembly for Wales in conjunction with Ffotogallery, and the University of Wales, Newport’s School of Film, Photography and Digital Media. 

People can find out more information and submit their images of “Democracy in Action in Wales” at www.democracyinactioninwales.org /www.democratiaetharwaith.org .

The successful entry will win a digital SLR camera (donated by the University of Wales Newport’s School of Film, Photography and Digital Media) and a photography course run by Ffotogallery. Twenty shortlisted entries will be displayed in The Senedd during September, and the overall winner will be announced in a prize-giving ceremony on 3 October.

The competition’s judges are:

Rosemary Butler AM – National Assembly Presiding Officer and Chair of the judging panel

David Hurn – Photojournalist, member of Magnum Photos and founder of the first Documentary Photography course at Newport.

Professor Dai Smith – Chair of the Arts Council of Wales, distinguished historian and writer on Welsh arts and culture.

Gideon Koppell – Artist and film-maker, and Professor of Film at Aberystwyth University and an Associate Fellow of Green Templeton College, University of Oxford

Marc Evans – Film-maker and director of Snow Cake and Hunky Dory; Marc Evans is a visiting professor at the University of Glamorgan’s creative arts school ATRiuM

Betina Skovbro – Organiser of Photomarathon UK and freelance photographer, based in Cardiff.

The public can also vote for their favourite entry, with the winner being awarded an identical prize to the judge’s vote.

The University’s involvement with the project is part of the celebrations of a century of the teaching of photography at Newport.