Newall Green High School in Wythenshawe leading the charge in Manchester

St. Modwen, the UK’s leading regeneration specialist, has launched a national schools photography competition to mark the Company’s 30^th anniversary. The competition is supported by a number of organisations and experts in urban design, architecture, education and photography, including The Princes Foundation for Building Communities.

Entitled ‘Making Places’, the competition is open to 30 secondary schools across England and Wales and asks GCSE art students to capture the theme of placemaking through the medium of photography. In doing so, students will explore what community, architecture or urban design means to them.

Between now and June 2016, students from each participating school will attend workshops hosted by Stephen Burke, photographer for the Telegraph and the Financial Times, and a member of award-winning, contemporary art organisation ‘WERK’*. He will provide them with insightful guidance on how to encapsulate the theme of placemaking and a sense of community through photography, in addition to offering careers advice in this field.

Each of the 30 participating schools will put forward their best entry, from which a shortlist of seven will be selected by a panel of judges. The national final will take place in September where the winner will be announced and awarded with a state of the art camera and £3,000 towards the school’s art department.

Steven Knowles, North West Regional Director, St. Modwen says:

“For the last 30 years, St. Modwen has been relentless in its mission to bring new life to areas in need of regeneration and create places for people to live, work, learn, shop and enjoy. In our 30^th year, we wanted to capture what we do as a business and to share this with local communities. The photography competition enables us to document what regeneration looks like in Manchester in 2016, but more importantly, has been designed to inspire the next generation to explore what it is that gives a true sense of place to any community as well educating them on urban design and providing valuable photography skills from industry experts.”

Ben Bolgar, Senior Director, The Princes Foundation for Building Communities and competition judge says:

“Placemaking, in creating better places to live, is fundamental to the work of The Prince’s Foundation for Building Community. We welcome this competition from St Modwen to encourage future generations to think about what it means and how architecture and urban design can improve quality of life.  I am very much looking forward to judging the entries and wish all the entrants the best of luck.”

Beverley Murray, Head of Art at Newall Green High School, added:

“We are really excited about the competition and participating in the workshops. It is a great opportunity for the students to learn more about their immediate area and the urban environment as well as have access to important insight from a national photographer. Most importantly, the initiative links strongly with the curriculum through ‘professional practice’ and will go a long way in assisting students with their respective GCSE projects.”

The 30 schools are located in one of the seven regions in which St. Modwen is actively developing across the UK. In May students from Newall Green High School will put their photography skills to the test at a workshop and capture images that they feel sum up placemaking.

Newall Green High School in Greenbrow Road, Wythenshawe, is two miles from Wythenshawe Town Centre which is owned and operated by St. Modwen in partnership with Manchester City Council.

For more information on St. Modwen’s 30^th anniversary and the national schools competition, please visit http://www.stmodwen.co.uk/corporate-social-responsibility/30th-anniversary