Winners of Chelmsford City Photo Competition announced

The Chelmsford City Photo Competition, co-ordinated by Chelmsford City Events, kept aspiring photographers occupied throughout summer 2020, and the winners have now been chosen. A video sharing a behind-the-scenes look at the competition can be watched at https://youtu.be/wTNzMKvwEJ8.

The competition closed on 31 August with more photographers entering than ever before. During September, the photos were sent to a panel of judges including the Mayor of Chelmsford, Councillor Jude Deakin; Deputy Leader Councillor Marie Goldman, and representatives from Blue Sky Printing, Meadows Shopping Centre, Unshaken Photography Training, Essex Chronicle and Essex 2020.

In October, shortlisted and winning photos were exhibited in Chelmsford city centre's Meadows Shopping Centre, delivered in partnership with print specialists Blue Sky Printing. This year, all shortlisted photos were entered into another draw where the people of Chelmsford could vote for their winning image.

The results came in, and this year's competition winners include:

• Over 16s: 'Central Park at Sunset' by Robert Johnston
• Under 16s: 'My little brother' by Amelia Uddin
• Instagram: 'Sunshine on a cloudy day' by @reallynosuchthingasbadweather
• Public Vote: 'Swans at Sunrise' by Adam Bennett

The Mayor of Chelmsford, Councillor Jude Deakin, said, "We had so many fantastic entries this year, that have really captured the strange times that we've been living in. People have showcased beautiful spots in Chelmsford; recorded special moments with family and creatively photographed the stunning nature right on our doorsteps. I'll be selecting some of these charismatic images to go into the Mayor's time capsule for 2020. My thanks go to everyone that has taken part, as these photographs have made so many people smile during a difficult period."

To help with inspiration, the competition created a photography blog which includes tips and advice for people looking to get involved, regardless of ability or camera device. The blog, shortlisted photographs and other competition details can be found at www.chelmsford.gov.uk/photocompWatch interviews with some of the winning photographers and judges and see many of the featured photos in a video at https://youtu.be/wTNzMKvwEJ8

Images captured from 1 September 2020 onwards will be eligible to be entered into next year's competition. We'll announce more details of 2021's competition in the spring. Find many of this year's photographs on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/cityphotocompetition/