Winners in the first round of the £15,000 Kodak Portrait & Wedding Awards 2002 programme have been announced by Kodak Professional.

In a tough judging at Kodak HQ, the panel selected a total of eight 'high quality' images across three categories.

Bristol-based photographer William Allen, Herts-based Su Kaye and Cardiff-based Mark Cleghorn stole the limelight with wins in the Open, Children and Wedding categories respectively.

And runners up and third prize honours went to new entries from Anthea Cull (Gwynedd), Laura Yerbury (Aberdeen), and Peter Winterbottom (Twickenham) with Mark Cleghorn also picking up a third place in the Children category.

Judges made no awards in the Pets category. Explained panellist Martin Wood: "We saw some very high quality images in all categories apart from Pets. This is a particularly difficult category. We saw pet pictures that were technically competent and well exposed but the panel felt that none of the entries in that section showed real creativity. None pushed the boundaries.

In the other categories we saw some exceptional endeavour and creative effort but judges felt that photographers shooting pet portraits did not attain the high standards required to win a Kodak award, at this judging"

The spring judging panel, comprising Kodak Professional's Martin Wood, a trade press executive and award winning photographer Wendy Aldiss, spent hours judging hundreds of images before making final selections.

Said Kodak's marketing manager Clare Bruce: "These awards are about capturing that magic moment - and that is what the judges are looking for."

Overall winners in each category at the final judging later this year will pick up Kodak UK Appointed Wholesaler vouchers to the value of £750 and PR support. Their winning customers will each win £1,000.

Seasonal judging, first, second and third prize winners share £350 worth of Kodak Q-Lab service reprint vouchers and personalised certificates, along with PR support for first prize winners.

Their winning customers share £250 worth of reprint vouchers.
For the first time in the history of the Awards programme, Kodak has agreed to allow images captured digitally on any manufacturer's camera be entered in the competition. (All images MUST be output on Kodak Professional paper, whether captured digitally or conventionally)
Closing date for the summer judging is July 15, 2002.

For further information, please contact:
Trevor Lansdown
Tel: 01206 241575
or
Kodak Professional
Tel: 01442 845146

Kodak Professional online: www.kodak.co.uk/go/professional