Macular Disease Foundation Australia's annual mEYE World Photographic Competition gives a unique insight into the world of the photographer and reminds us all to value our vision and the importance of having an eye test and macula check.
The competition’s aim is to encourage awareness of macular disease and to develop communication links with those in the “at risk” groups as well as the wider community including younger Australians, through media and stakeholder engagement.
In 2016, we invited Australian’s to enter a photograph along with 30-60 words explaining how the image captured the theme “See My World”. The Foundation received 2,242 entries over the six week competition period.
The mEYE World Photographic Competition was judged by a high profile panel including Ita Buttrose, internationally recognised photographer Rex Dupain, and one of Australia’s longest serving news photographers, Alan Pryke.
Macular Disease Foundation Australia announced the grand finalist and category winners of the mEYE World Photographic Competition 2016, to mark World Diabetes Day. The outstanding winners were selected from over 2,400 photographs entered to celebrate the theme – See My World.
Tania Savona, of Ormond, Victoria, is this year’s Grand Finalist with a charming photograph of weary young ballerinas resting after a long day of dance.
In her description of the photograph Tania said, “After a hard day's work of dancing and prancing, these ballerinas were captured recharging their batteries and getting 40 winks. You cannot see their eyes, but they have a look of calmness and shared friendship. I'm not a dancer but I love to see my daughter dance and escape into her world of beautiful music and costumes.”
For the third consecutive year, retired anaesthetist Dr Kerry Boytell won the healthcare professional category. Dr Boytell, who submitted two photos to the competition, was also awarded healthcare professional first runner up. Her photographs are outstanding and capture the natural landscape with clarity and insight.
Our long standing high profile judging panel included Foundation Patron Ita Buttrose, internationally recognised photographer Rex Dupain, and one of Australia’s longest- serving news photographer Alan Pryke.
“Macular disease affects Australians of all ages and we now know that early detection can save sight. The competition is a wonderfully creative way to remind people how precious their sight is and why they should do all they can to preserve it,” Ms Buttrose said.
Macular Disease Foundation Australia’s Chief Executive Officer, Julie Heraghty, said the quality of entries received was outstanding. “The photographs reflected the theme ‘See My World’ in beautiful and diverse ways that truly remind people of how important it is to value their vision.”
Competition categories include: macular disease community, healthcare professional, open, and junior (under 18). Eligible photographs were presented for judging without personal identification.
Category winners are:
• Grand Finalist and Macular Disease Community Winner – Tania Savona, Ormond VIC
• Open (General Public) – Sharran Makin, Redhead NSW
• Healthcare Professional – Kerry Boytell, Mosman NSW
• Junior (Under 18) – Floyd Mallon, Maitland NSW
Macular Disease Category Winner & Grand Finalist: Tania Savona
"After a hard day's work of dancing and prancing, these ballerinas were captured recharging their batteries and getting 40 winks. You cannot see their eyes but they have a look of calmness and shared friendship. I'm not a dancer but I love to see my daughter dance and escape into her world of beautiful music and costumes."
Healthcare Professional Category Winner: Kerry Boytell
"Milford Sound in NZ is usually shrouded in mist. It was a unique experience to be able to see it on one of it's few clear days per year. Being blessed with good vision is essential to experience the visual wonders of our world."
Open Category Winner: Sharran Makin
“To see a horse is beautiful, to see a team of horses is majestic. To be able to see them is a gift, and to be able to capture the moment, a blessing.”
Junior Category Winner: Floyd Mallon
“To me, photography is a means of connecting with beautiful parts of the world. Astrophotography, in particular, allows me to see a world that is not visible to the naked eye. Seeing the Milky Way on the screen of my camera never ceases to leave me speechless. That is how I connect to nature and to the world.”
Open Category 1st Runner Up: Desmond Chu
“Before dawn, on this river in China, the scene was pitch black. But when this man lit his oil lamp, we were able to see his world – a beautiful world of cormorants, mountains and a character-filled fisherman. What a privilege to have a glimpse of another's world!”
Healthcare Professional Category 1st Runner Up: Kerry Boytell
“For me, birds and animals are some of the most beautiful creatures in our universe. I felt privileged to witness this beautiful eagle owl, in flight over the dunes, on its evening hunt for food. Being blessed with good vision enables me to see these wonderful creatures.”
Macular Disease Community Category 1st Runner Up: Doug Cliff
“It’s interesting to see the world in black and white – we are so colour driven these days – the more vivid the better. I have been trying to take pictures in black and white and I’ve found that it is much harder to get something interesting. I wonder how different we would be if we were only able to see black and white.”
Junior Category 1st Runner Up: Geena Gill
“My photograph demonstrates the way in which people show their inner world through art. To do this, my subject herself became the artwork, externalising the beauty of her imagination through body painting. Her eye is meant to capture the audience's attention and say ‘this is how I see myself, this is me showing my soul to the world’."
Healthcare Professional Category 2nd Runner Up: Colin Chan
“Sometimes, after a long day of seeing patients or operations, I like to take a walk in the local bush near home. Soaking in the sights and sounds and smells around me, helps inspire me and remind me what a privilege it is to be able to restore sight.”
Open Category 2nd Runner Up: Kelvin Ball
“I spy with my little eye something beginning with S. Sitting in a tree, photographing a bee, I had to stay cool and calm as it crawled up my arm and onto my glasses. To see past my fear I took a selfie – after all beauty is in the eye of the beholder.”
Macular Disease Community Category 2nd Runner Up: Yvonne Hill
“Life without sight would be awful if it were not for the support of loved ones and the priceless devotion of a dog, especially a clever one like blue cattle dog, Blaze, who is willing to assist in any way he can, giving unstintingly of his love and companionship.”
Junior Category 2nd Runner Up: Harmony Foxford
“See the hands of my world. Every generation has the responsibility to care for the world we live in. They can hand on that responsibility to the next generation. As past generations move on, we can still look back but we can't see into the future. We need to look after the present so our future can be great!”
14 November 2016