The competition was judged by acclaimed professional photographer, Robert Darch, who is known for his documentary-style images that are atmospheric, often depicting tension between stillness and motion. The prize for first place was a £50 gift voucher, second place received a £25 gift voucher, and three, third place winners received vouchers of £10 each. The winners were as follows:

1^st place – Daisy J-B, Ellesmere Park High School

Robert Darch commented: “This image immediately stood out, it’s a decisive moment, capturing the splashing water. Yet, it also has a very melancholic feel, helped by the starkness of the image, being in black and white and with the subject covering their face with their hands.”

Runner up – Alyssa M, Armthorpe Academy

About this piece, Robert Darch said: “Both of these images really resonated with me, the rain drops on a window or windscreen, with the beautiful dawn or dusk sky beyond. I particularly liked that the photographer was starting to make a series of the same viewpoint, and it’s not just about the single image, this is really interesting.”

3^rd place –

Stevie C, Buile Hill Academy

Matthew W, Heworth Grange School

Matt Gordon, Staff at Ellesmere Park High School

Honourable mentions include:

Alissa W – Ellesmere Park High School

Freddie J – Ellesmere Park High School

Josh J – Ellesmere Park High School

Sadeen A - Heworth Grange School

Katelin R - Buile Hill Academy

Commenting on the whole competition, Robert Darch said: “I thought the standard of all the entries was really high and there was such a diverse range of photographs which made the judging very hard. Everyone who entered should be really proud of their photographs and should make sure they continue to take pictures.”'

Competition organiser and Teacher of Art at Ellesmere Park High School, Miss Barker commented: ”I decided to run this competition to promote creativity and connect all the schools in the Trust. I've been overwhelmed by the fantastic standard of entries and the sheer volume of participation. There is so much talent in our students which should be celebrated and promoted as much as we can - it’s clearly evident in how wonderful all the photographs look in the gallery.

“Well done to all who entered and all the staff who facilitated students entries, and a special thanks to photographer Robert Darch for taking the time out to judge the 360 entries. I'm looking forward to running the competition again in the Summer term and hopefully have a physical exhibition.”

David Clayton, Chief Executive of Consilium Academies, added: “It is absolutely fantastic to see the amount of effort the members of our Trust put into this competition. Consilium Academies is a community and it is initiatives like this that help bring us together as we celebrate the talent of our students and staff.

“I would like to thank every member of our Trust that took part and extend my congratulations to Daisy, Alyssa, Stevie, Matthew, and Matt.”

To view the online gallery with all this term’s entries click below