In conjunction with Photo North Festival and Homes for Students, we are very excited to announce the winner and three joint runners-up of our ‘Your Community’ Sheffield Park Hill Student Competition.

Our competition winner is Evie Scarborough with her photo series focusing on health.

‘Paying close attention to ways in which we can manage our health is vital in our modern world as, often, people can misunderstand the fragility of our well-being, thinking that the solutions are simple, advising each other to “just talk to someone” or “just get out and about”. For some, “just” doing these things can prove difficult alone. Interactions with animals can provide companionship, joy and love to those who struggle to find these things elsewhere. Through these photos, I document the endearing relationships many people have with animals, whatever their species, showing the positive effects they can have on human health. This can vary from relieving stress and anxiety, to giving people a reason to leave the house and get exercise. Through the square crop of each image, I not only ensure all focus is on the relationship being shown, but I am also playing with the idea of “one size fits all” as, although every individual is unique, animals are able to have a positive impact on each and every one of our lives. This is shown through the variety of ages and gender of individuals in the images.’

We also want to congratulate the three runners-up, Harriet Massey with her series ‘Home of the Sport’, Edward Paxton and his series ‘Ollie’s’ and Ellie Bell with her series ‘Full English’

You can view the winner, runners-up and all the finalists here.