AFTER more than 1,000 entries, a photographer from Ringwood has been crowned Young Photographer of the Year.

Anna Giddings, who submitted her work in the year seven to 10 category while representing Ringwood School, picked up the top honour after her work was deemed the best of the best.

It was part of the annual Rotary Club of Ringwood Inter-school Photographic exhibition, involving 12 schools across Hampshire, Dorset and Wiltshire.

Now in its sixth year, the 2018 edition’s theme was a moment in time.

Schools including Wildern, Arnewood and Bransgrove all contributed to the competition.

A judging panel made up of the likes of past Rotary president Geoff Ridway OBE had the difficult task of selecting just 36 final entries to go through to the exhibition at Ringwood School Conference Centre.

Among the local winners were Rosie Thomas, from Ringwood School, who claimed the top prize in the adult category, as well as Anna who won the overall prize.

Stuart Fielder, course leader photography at Ringwood School, said “Creativity gives students a fantastic platform to express themselves, to make their voices heard, and photography is the most accessible form of creativity.

“Encouraging the talent of young people is vital to the creative industry which is the fastest growing sector in the UK economy and locally within the South. I am looking forward to including more schools in next year’s competition and would invite any schools interested to contact me here at Ringwood School”.

The exhibition will be moving to Greyfriars Community Centre in Ringwood from July.

Ringwood School is looking for other local venues which could host the exhibition throughout May and June. Please contact the school directly with any potential opportunities for hosting.