Last Saturday, September 14, this year’s five winners were announced at the Autumn in the Country Arts Festival for the 2024 Photo Expo.
“First Skate, Not the Last” by Hannah Mitchell won Portrait, “The Bridge” by Amelia Tamas won Landscape, “Hidden Boots” by Laura Lichty won Best Overall, “Balance” by Elizabeth Bahl-Séguin won Best Youth, and “Hello There” by Paula Brown won the newly added category, Jury’s Choice.
The theme “Best Kept Secret” made participants photograph what they believe is a unique or special place within the Russell Township boundaries.
“When I took it (the picture) I was thinking more to put this the Canadian Wildlife Federation competition. But then I thought ‘Well, that’s where it was taken and it falls in the category.’,” said Paula Brown, winner of the newly added category for this year’s Photo Expo. She explained that her photo had been a pure coincidence. She was sitting on a bench near the parking lot at Russell’s City Hall while waiting for her husband to return. Brown looked up and saw a turkey walking between cars.
“You see his eye? He’s on guard. This is not where he’s supposed to be. And he wasn’t there long.” But the bird was there long enough for Brown to get close and snap the winner of the Jury’s Choice.
The winners received a $400 Canadian Artists’ Representation le front des artistes canadiens fees as well as their photos will be displayed at the recreational trail located at the start of the trail at 901 Notre-Dame Street in Embrun. The photos will be alongside the eight previous winners of the 2023 and 2022 Photo Expo.
Alongside the five winners, the jury nominated seven photos to showcase as honourable mentions. “Joy” by Christine Mentzel, “Flock of Birds in the Early Fall at Sunset” by Denis Tanguay, “Hard at Work for Us” by Ella Moore Charland, “Cotton Candy Skies” by Emma Pineo, “Owl on the Hunt” by Mark Hatherall, “Russell Museum Barber Shop” by Roland Piette, and “Follow Me to the Castor” by Tim Bolton-Gowling.
The jury committee contained Myriam Cobb, Curator for Global Affairs Canada Visual Art Collection, John Healey, Artist and Instructor at the School of Photographic Arts: Ottawa (SPAO), and Lynda Clouette-Mackay, Curator for Centre Culturel Le Chenail.
All 12 photos presented received a subscription to PhotoEd Magazine.
The prize “Crowd Favourite” was added to the expo with the aim to increase public participation. “Blue Heron” by Norm Fortin won the prize and a $50 gift card to Euphie d’ici.
With over double the number of submissions the expo saw last year, only over 100 of the 215 submitted photos were presented at the event.
