Record youth entries for new photography exhibition near Banbury

Photography exhibition opens with a display of nearly 80 works by emerging and professional photographers from the Banbury area and beyond.
Elizabeth Blackie the youth overall winner at the Heseltine Gallery’s biennial Focus On Photography exhibition (Photo by Geoff Carverhill)Elizabeth Blackie the youth overall winner at the Heseltine Gallery’s biennial Focus On Photography exhibition (Photo by Geoff Carverhill)
Elizabeth Blackie the youth overall winner at the Heseltine Gallery’s biennial Focus On Photography exhibition (Photo by Geoff Carverhill)

The Heseltine Gallery’s biennial Focus On Photography exhibition opened this week, with a display of nearly 80 works by emerging and professional photographers from the Banbury area and beyond.

The open, selected exhibition attracted more than 130 entries, more than a third of which were from students at local schools in Banbury, Bicester and Buckingham.

Roger Neill, chair of the Friends of the Heseltine Gallery, said: “The quality and variety of the work on display is remarkable, and we are delighted to have received a record number of youth entries this year. This is very encouraging for the future of photography as an art form.”

Drew Kirkland from Sutton Coldfield was the adult overall winner for the Heseltine Gallery’s biennial Focus On Photography exhibition (Photo by Geoff Carverhill)Drew Kirkland from Sutton Coldfield was the adult overall winner for the Heseltine Gallery’s biennial Focus On Photography exhibition (Photo by Geoff Carverhill)
Drew Kirkland from Sutton Coldfield was the adult overall winner for the Heseltine Gallery’s biennial Focus On Photography exhibition (Photo by Geoff Carverhill)

Thanks to generous sponsorship from Coventry-based One Vision Imaging, Epson UK and GMC Publications, the gallery presented 20 prizes for outstanding entries in the adult and youth categories.

Among the prize winners were Drew Kirkland from Sutton Coldfield (adult overall winner), Elizabeth Blackie from Thrapston (youth overall winner) and Gina Glover from Kettering (Richard Cooke Memorial Award). Local prize winners included Michael Butterworth, Mark Harris and Jeff Youngman from Middleton Cheney and Frankie Horrocks, Matthew Knight and Anna Woolmer from Chenderit School.

Focus On Photography 2022 runs at the Heseltine Gallery until March 30, and is open from 10am to 4pm, Sunday to Friday. Admission is free. For more information see the gallery's website here: www.theheseltinegallery.org.uk.

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