Historic Environment Scotland today revealed the winners of the Visions of Climate Heritage Compeition, which sought to gather scenes of Scotland’s changing landscapes and the impacts of pollution and extreme weather. The competition winners across the categories of Best Artwork, Best Photograph, Best Mobile Photograph and the Young Creative Awards, were chosen by the panel of judges, including Scottish Council on Archives Trustee and Aberdeen City Archivist Phil Astley, for their contribution to Scotland’s climate story.
Phil Astley, competition judge, said,
“The judges were all really impressed by the standard of entries in the “Visions of Climate Change” competition. It was fun being involved in choosing the winners, but at the same time agonisingly difficult to make a final selection. All the winners have produced really powerful and thought provoking images that reflect Scotland’s heritage and the impact that climate change is having”.
Best Artwork was awarded to Gemma Lubbock for her evocative painting, titled ‘This is an Emergency’, of a local building in Hawick, Scottish Borders which suffered major damage during Storm Ciara. The town has since received generous investment for flood defences, to protect against the impacts of climate change.
“I hoped to capture the sheer power in the raging water torrents” Gemma said, “Climate change is having a devastating effect on real people, right now, even here in Scotland. I hope my painting conveys what we’re up against, and how we only solve this by working with nature to make positive change.”
First Prize in the Best Photograph category went to Craig Buchan for his striking photograph ‘Cockenzie No More’, which members of the judging panel “couldn’t stop thinking about”.
“I am delighted to win!” said Craig. “This image is from a personal project called ‘Transition’, a study of the shift from fossil fuel-based industries to renewable energies in Scotland. The photograph itself is of the moment the two massive chimneys were demolished at Cockenzie power station.”
Second Prize for Best Photograph was awarded to Iain McLachlan for ‘A Tiny Planet’, which was praised by the judges for its striking composition. ‘Oh for a drop of rain’, by photographer JC, took Third Prize in the Best Photograph Category, inspired simply by the low water levels from a prolonged dry spell which demonstrate the fragility of our ecosystems.
The award for Best Mobile Photograph went to Carson Haggart, for his poignant photograph ‘A shop too far’. Carson said “I primarily entered for fun and just to contribute to the online exhibition, so it was a lovely surprise to receive the news that I won.”
In the Young Creative Awards, the winner of the 16-17 years category was Cerys James for her fantastic photograph ‘April Showers’. The award in the 12-15 years category went to Morgan James, 14 for the photograph entitled ‘Our fish are made of plastic’. And 6-year-old Tor Baldorf Pirso was the winner of the Young Creatives 11 years and under category, for his photograph ‘Beach Litter- plastic in the sea’.
Visions of Climate Heritage, which launched to coincide with COP26, has been developed by HES in partnership with the Heritage Trust Network and the Scottish Council on Archives in response to the climate emergency.
Scottish Council on Archives would like to congratulate all the winners of the competition and those who entered.
As part of the competition HES has created a crowdsourced online exhibition of photography and artwork, to help tell Scotland’s climate – past, present and future – with the aim to harness the power of Scotland’s historic environment and cultural heritage to inspire climate action. The exhibition is split into the competition’s three themes: ‘The past was a different Place’; ‘This is an Emergency’; and ‘A Greener Future’, and can all be viewed on the HES website.