Community Update: Judge AW

One of the most rewarding aspects of our time at Analogue Wonderland is the strong connection we share with the film photography community and the meaningful relationships we’ve built (and continue to build) through our work. We're grateful to receive invites to serve as judges for several community photography competitions throughout the year. Our own Kodak film-focused competitions in the winter (UltraMax) and summer (Portra 160) are always great fun, too! This year, we had the privilege to judge two exciting photo contests: Holga Week Awards 2023 and Unsplash Awards 2023. Here’s how they went down…

Holga Week Awards 2023

Holga Week is, well, you probably guessed it from the name, a week-long celebration of the Holga camera in all its wonderful plastic fantastic formats. It takes place during the first week of October (1st - 7th October). The competition allows entrants to submit 3 images shot during Holga week with their Holga cameras across a number of categories - effect, street, nature, portrait and pinhole -  to encourage their creativity!

You can find out more about what Holga Week entails in our blog post.

This year, we were honored to serve as a regional sponsor for the competition, and being the exclusive sponsor from the UK, we had the opportunity to choose from the exceptional submissions of Holga images by talented UK-based photographers. This unique position also allowed us to offer impressive prizes to the deserving winner. 

Selecting just one winner proved really challenging due to the remarkable standard and diversity of every entry. Nevertheless, a decision had to be made, and our winner was Carolyn Kennet! Her distinctive and vibrant image, captured in Cornwall, left us in awe as it seemingly transported us to outer space!

To see all of the 710 entries by 253 global photographers, visit the Holga Week 2023 gallery. You can also just view this year's winners here. Watch the 2023 Holga Week Awards Presentation video below. 

Unsplash Awards 2023

Unsplash is a free stock image website supported by a large community of talented photographers. Every year, they host a month-long celebration to recognise the impact and creativity of the Unsplash community of contributors. This year was the 7th edition of the Unsplash Awards, in which the competition is split into 10 categories with 10 guest judges.

Our fantastic Marketing Manager, Karen Freer, received an invitation to return as a judge for the Film category. Despite the predominance of digital submissions to the Unsplash database, it's refreshing to witness the resilience of the film photography category. The entries were truly remarkable!

 © Mykyta Kravčenko | Local Car Tunnel | Taken on the Nikon F film camera with NIKKOR 50mm lens | Film stock: CineStill 800T

Here’s what Karen said about her chosen image: “I chose this photo because it feels cinematic. You can imagine seeing this shot in a film and I love how the photographer has taken advantage of the film's aesthetic (I think it is CineStill 800T). It feels like they knew the red lights were going to be processed by this particular film in this way, and they made sure to focus on them. The leading lines really help focus your attention on the halation of the red lights bouncing off the ceiling of the tunnel too.”

Find out more about the annual Unsplash Awards and discover the finalists for each category.

More to look forward to in 2024!

Anticipating developments in the realm of film photography next year and the exciting opportunities for our involvement, we hope to serve as jurors and prize-givers once again! While we look forward to unveiling our Kodak winter competition for 2024 shortly, keep an eye out for the details. Until then, happy shooting!