Capturing the Church in Norfolk 

The Diocese of Norwich has launched a photography competition called ‘Capturing the Church in Norfolk’, aimed at putting the county’s creative photography skills to the test.

 
Norfolk is a county full of beautiful church buildings – from tiny Saxon parish churches to the great Cathedral of Norwich. No matter where you are in the county our church buildings shape the landscape and each one has its own unique story to tell.
 
Photos could be inside, outside or not by a church building at all. The overall aim is for entrants to show how the local church, whether as a building or a group of people, is serving their community, and asks entrants to capture what they think church is.
 
The competition is open to anyone from any denomination or faith background, but entries need to be of a Church of England church or project or in some way related to an Anglican Church.
 
The best six photos from each age category – 16 and under, and 17 and over – will then tour Norfolk. They will start their tour at the Royal Norfolk Show at the end of June and then make week long stops at five churches: King’s Lynn Minster, Cromer Parish Church, Great Yarmouth Minster, St Stephen’s Church Norwich and Wymondham Abbey. At each stop, people can vote for their favourite photograph and the winners will be decided by a panel of judges and the public vote.
 
Gordon Darley, Marketing & Communications Manager for the Diocese said:
"This is a competition for everybody, old and young, whether they go to church or not, to capture the essence of what an active church actually looks like. We want to highlight, encourage and celebrate how the church acts out God’s love and perhaps challenge people’s perception of what church really is.
“This is a great competition for budding and enthusiastic photographers who want to get their work noticed by a wide range of people. So get your camera out and start snapping!”
 
The competition is open to everyone and entering is simple. Once you have taken your photos, you can upload them to the competition page on the Diocese website. The entry deadline for the competition is Wednesday 31 May.
 
The two winners from each category will be announced and prizes awarded at a special award ceremony at Wymondham Abbey at the end of Norfolk Open Churches Week (5-13 August) on Sunday 13 August.

For more information and to enter photographs visit www.dioceseofnorwich.org/photos

The photo of Norwich Cathedral is courtesy of Robin Vincent.