Gina Broker picks up top prize at Nikon's Discovery Awards

Student from Newport wins £5000 and D300

10 December 2008 15:14 GMT / By Verity Burns

A student from Wales has been announced as the Grand Prize winner at Nikon's photographic Discovery Awards.

Gina Broker from the University of Wales, Newport, competed against 24 other students from around the UK and Ireland, and won the main prize of £5000 and a D300 camera kit.

The 24 runners up didn't walk away empty handed though, each also winning themselves a D300 camera kit in recognition of their work.

In addition, Laura Pannack of University of Brighton and Elliot Wilcox of the University of Wales, Newport also received a £300 Judges Award for their efforts.

The Nikon Discovery Awards, in association with British Journal of Photography, was set up two years ago and offered students and their universities or colleges the chance to win a share of £50,000 worth of prizes.

After a successful first year and an outstanding array of entries, the competition made a strong comeback this year gaining an impressive number of entries and some big names on its judging panel. This included Simon Bainbridge, editor of the British Journal of Photography, and Dylan Martinez, chief photographer at Reuters News Pictures.

Simon Bainbridge said: "We were really taken aback by the standard and diversity of the entries this year, which ranged from cutting-edge fashion imagery to tightly conceptualised portraiture".

"In the end, Gina's photo essay stood out. It's documentary storytelling at its best, on par with many of the great names to have emerged from the Newport photography course over the years".

Gina Brocker's winning portfolio, along with the 24 other shortlisted entrants will be available to view at Nikon's website.

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