Image: The Dick Clark Jetty in Strahan by Henry Tyme, recipient of the West Coaster Award (Courtesy of the West Coast Council)

The West Coast Council’s recent photography competition firmly put the region in the sights of budding and professional photographers looking to capture the uniqueness of Tasmania’s western region.

Due to COVID-19, the council was forced to cancel the previously planned ‘The Unconformity Festival.’ Whilst a significant loss to the region, it presented the council with the opportunity to introduce a photography competition and pivot towards showcasing the natural, physical, and social beauty of Tasmania’s West Coast during a time where international and intra-state travel was not possible.

The overall theme of the competition was to “…showcase the West Coast as an attractive place to live and work, as well as somewhere to be creative and to visit,” West Coast Council General Manager David Midson said.

Spread across four categories for entry, prospective photographers could share and submit their entries on Instagram – boosting the region’s reputation as the ‘wild west’ of Tasmania. With an incredible uptake in submissions to the competition, West Coast Mayor Phil Vickers said, “It’s amazing to see the amount of interest in our beautiful region and the excitement from locals and visitors alike.”

Entries to the competition closed on September 7^th where selected images were showcased at exhibitions across each of the region’s towns in early October – a positive sign of cooperation between local business and council. The winners of the West Coast Photography Competition were as follows:

• West Coaster Award (sponsored by Granville Wind Farm) - Henry Tyme from Tullah with an image of Dick Clark Jetty in Strahan.
• The Traveller Award (sponsored by World Heritage Cruises and Morrison’s Huon Pine Sawmill) – Natasha Mulhall from Hobart with an image of a West Coast highway.
• Overall Under 18 - Kaleb Becker of Queenstown with an image of Strahan.
• Under 16 - Tykea Turley of Queenstown with an image of the Montezuma Falls suspension bridge.
• Under 14 - Sydney Gray of Queenstown with an image of her grandparents.

The three youth categories were sponsored by ‘For the People’

* The Student’s Choice Award as selected by West Coast school students will be announced in coming weeks.

With the end of the competition and continuing to promote the region, the council has just launched the West Coast Photography Competition Exhibition Trail which will activate window spaces in various towns, showcasing the region and encouraging local movement between communities whilst considering and minimising social gathering risks. The Exhibition Trail locations will be promoted through West Coast Council and West Coast Visitor Information Centre through social media, and in each West Coast town.

Image: The Dick Clark Jetty in Strahan by Henry Tyme, recipient of the West Coaster Award (Courtesy of the West Coast Council)