Faith Hwata and Chloe Gibson named winners of 2022 Aqwest Photography Competition

One snappy student has finally claimed top spot at this year’s Aqwest Photographic Competition after coming in runner-up for the past two years.

The winners of this year’s student competition were announced last Wednesday night at the award ceremony at Quaity Hotel Lighthouse, with Grace Christian School’s Faith Hwata taking out first prize in the senior division.

The annual Aqwest Photography Competition aims to raise awareness of the importance of conserving water, with entrants required to submit an image that conveyed the theme “water art”.

The Year 9 student submitted her winning entry on a whim, having placed second in both 2020 and 2021 and was pleased to finally come out on top.

“I did it kind of at the last minute,” she said.

“I just thought, maybe I should just think outside the box and use the stuff I have at home instead of going out and finding something to do.”

Taking out the primary division for students in Year 6 and below was Chloe Gibson of Treendale Primary School.

Each of the winners received prize money of $350 for themselves and $350 for their schools as well as the honour of having their images included in the Aqwest 2023 calendar.

Nine-year-old Gibson told the Herald she was so happy she “screamed” when finding out she had won and hopes to continue photography in the future.

“I didn’t think I would (win) . . . there were a lot of other amazing photos that were entered into the competition.

“I loved how the trees (in my photo) angled and showed the reflections in the water.”

Deciding this year’s winners were local photographers Sarah Henderson and Paul Verhagen, who praised the level of creativity of this year’s entries, describing the selection of a winner as “a tough task”.

Aqwest chief executive Gary Hallsworth said the competition educates students in a creative way.

“Water is a precious resource and through this competition we are able to educate students about the importance of saving water in a fun, creative way,” he said.