Saltire Prize Junior Photography Competition

28th August 2012

School pupils are being invited to capture 'the power of the sea' in a junior photography competition aimed at highlighting the awesome force and natural resource of the waters around Scotland.

Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon launched the competition, being run under the auspices of the Saltire Prize for marine energy technology, as she announced that two tidal energy and two wave power developers are challenging for the main £10 million Prize.

Ms Sturgeon also announced plans for a Saltire Prize-sponsored doctorate to study how marine energy projects can be designed to maximise economic energy production while protecting the environment.

The photography competition aims to raise awareness of the natural environment and the potential of marine energy. Renowned Scots photographer David Eustace has agreed to judge the entries for the junior Saltire Prize photography competition.

The Deputy First Minister said:"The Saltire Prize junior photography competition can inspire young people to focus on the aims of both this Year of Creative Scotland and 2013, the Year of Natural Scotland, and to capture the beauty and benefits that Scotland's seas offer so many of our communities. I'm delighted that David has agreed to bring his professional eye to the judging and I look forward to seeing the entries from around Scotland."

The Saltire Prize doctorate brings together expertise from two of Scotland's university research pools, the Energy Technology Partnership (ETP) and the Marine Alliance for Science & Technology for Scotland (MASTS), with input from each four official competitors. The student will be supervised by Prof Ian Bryden at the University of Edinburgh, with co-supervision by Professor Jon Side from the Orkney Campus of Heriot-Watt University.

"Scotland's universities and research base have been key to the success of offshore renewables. The Saltire Prize PhD will enhance this collaboration between industry and academia," the Deputy First Minister added.

ETP chair Prof Sir Jim McDonald, co-chair of Scotland's Energy Advisory Board and Principal of the University of Strathclyde, said:"I'm delighted that the academic community in Scotland is able to support the prestigious Saltire Prize competition in this way. By bringing together world-leading industry and academic expertise while supporting the research leaders of tomorrow, Scotland is in an ideal position to manage the engineering and marine science challenges that are fundamental to the large-scale deployment of renewable energy technologies."

The photography competition is open to school pupils across three age groups covering Primary, S1-3 and S4-6. The winning entry will receive photography equipment and professional lessons for them and their school. Entries will be shortlisted by picture editors of regional newspapers before the overall winner is selected by David Eustace.

Saltire Prize photography competition.
www.scotland.org/power-of-the-sea/