‘Home’ is where the art is — InFocus competition winners announced

Home’ is where the art is — InFocus competition winners announced

The Plunge Festival’s popular InFocus Competition again challenged Clarence Valley photographers to put their creative talent to the test with this year’s theme ‘home’.

More than 120 entries were received, featuring a diverse range of subjects including both the built and natural environments as well as a few animals in starring roles.

Long-time Clarence Valley photographers Simon Hughes, Debrah Novak and Adam Hourigan returned to the judging panel to perform the difficult task of selecting the five category winners.

Drumroll please…

The coveted Plunge Arts & Culture open prize of $500 was awarded to photographer Susan Fletcher for her image ‘Water Soothes the Soul’ — taken on the riverbank at Ulmarra.

Fletcher’s photograph will also have the honour of being featured on the cover of the 2022 Plunge Festival Program with the other winning images featuring throughout the program.

The other $500 category winners were:

Digital camera: Joy Hayman Ward’s ‘Our Red Heart’ shot from the old Grafton Bridge;

Compact camera: Derry Moroney’s ‘Tree of Life’ taken at Lake Cakora on the Lower Clarence.

Mobile phone: Susan Polsen’s ‘Ulmarra Ferry to Home’, another cracker image featuring the ferry.

The $200 Youth Prize went to Josh Hiatt’s Margaret Olley-inspired ‘Homely Desk’.

Clarence Valley Council Mayor Dr Ian Tiley said he was pleased to provide ongoing support for the community to share their impressions of our unique and beautiful home within the Plunge Festival program.

For a close-up look at the winning works, the images will be on display at the Grafton Regional Gallery in April.

Susan Fletcher ‘Water Soothes the Soul’. InFocus Plunge category winner