Looking through the work submitted, any doubts I may have had about the future of photography - and young photographers who will be ready to rise to the challenge of our rapidly-changing visual world - have been safely laid to rest. I have been most impressed by the diversity of the work on show, from traditional photojournalism to fine arts abstraction and everything in between. All facets are represented and it is hugely encouraging to see new talent emerging through all of these disciplines.
Deborah Coleman conveys the sadness of loss powerfully in the tradition of classical photojournalism. Her pictures are honest and without frills. She brings us emotionally close to what she observes. Her pictures move us deeply, making us think about loss in our own life.
Katy's work could be classified as landscape photography but it is far from traditional. She takes us on an impressionist walk through nature that is utterly personal. We observe what she has glimpsed. The resulting images are joyous and create for the viewer an echo of what the photographer has experienced.
Jade's pictures are ephemeral. They have a dreamy quality and are a little bit mysterious. The colors are subtle and the images are seductive. We feel like intimate observers of private moments - without being intrusive. The pictures are gently floating in space-time.
Documentary photography can be linear, telling a story with a beginning and an end. Or it can be more complex - addressing political thoughts and ideas. Bartosz Nowicki's work achieves it's import by using words and pictures, meshing images with sentences and using layout creatively. He provokes and forces us to pay attention to what he wants us to know.
At first glance Eleanor's still-lifes are exquisitely beautiful. They are lovely to look at and beautifully composed. We observe a stillness but also an intense directness which is evocative of important events that took place in the past. It makes us wonder about the relics she has photographed, causing us to ponder their significance.
