Winners of National Arboretum photography competition revealed

The Friends of the National Arboretum Canberra have announced the winners of their inaugural photography competition, Celebrating summer at the Arboretum.

Commenting on the entries, Friends of the National Arboretum Chair Jocelyn Plovits explained "we received over 200 entries across the three categories and loved rediscovering the Arboretum through the eyes of so many different people.

“Each category - adult, high school and 12 years and under - had a winner, runner-up and a number of commended photos, so there are many spectacular photos on display for the public.

“It’s been wonderful learning about each winner’s story, what they discovered at the Arboretum and what they plan to do with the prize money.

"The youngest in the 12 years and under category was three years old. The majority of entries submitted came from young people, who will live to see the Arboretum grow into the beautiful forest it’s planned to become."

The Arboretum’s Executive Manager, Stephen Alegria, hopes the photographs will inspire others to discover what’s on offer at the Arboretum.

Alegria stated “each photo captures a unique piece of the Arboretum. Everyone who visits seems to discover something different; from stunning views that change with the time of day and season, to perfect family picnic spots and very rare and endangered trees, some of which no longer exist in their natural habitat.

“I’d like to thank the Friends for organising and funding the competition, which generously awarded $3,000 in prize money to winners across the categories. This initiative is just one of the many activities the Friends run to help the Arboretum."

The winning photos are on show in the Arboretum Village Centre until Monday 9th March.

The 250 hectare National Arboretum Canberra was created after the area was burned out as a result of the Christmas 2001 and 2003 Canberra bushfires.

The fires saw the area's Himalayan Cedar forest lose about one third of its trees, while the commercial Radiata Pine plantation was burned out, allowing the arboretum to be created.

In 2004, the ACT Government held a nation-wide competition for an arboretum, with a winning design by landscape architects Taylor Cullity Lethlean and architects Tonkin Zulaikha Greer including 100 forests and 100 gardens of threatened, rare, and symbolic trees from around the world.

The site has been planted since 2005, and includes ceremonial trees planted by visiting heads of government and ambassadors. It was officially opened in February 2013.

For more information on the Friends of the National Arboretum Canberra go to www.arboretumcanberra.org.au

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