Unleash your creativity with an eye-catching snapshot and be in for a chance to win £250!

Are you a Master’s or a PhD student? Have you been thinking about innovative ways of presenting your research to colleagues or to the general public?

Tell a story about your research by sharing a photograph and win up to £250!

What is ReCapture?

ReCapture is a competition funded by the University of Kent’s Postgraduate Community Experience Award. It aims to promote postgraduate research carried out across the University by providing a platform for students to capture and share their research in a public-friendly photographic format. The competition will be a celebration of student research and will encourage networking between the academic communities of the Canterbury and Medway campuses. It also provides a novel and exciting platform for students to share their research with non-specialist audiences and to the local public.

How do I take part?

If you are a student undertaking a Master’s or PhD research* at either Canterbury or Medway campus, this is your chance to shine! In order to enter the competition, submit the following to graduateschool@kent.ac.uk by midnight on the 7^th of April 2019:

• An image, which reflects or captures your research or your experience as a researcher.
• Your name, department/school and a title of image of maximum 12 words.
• A short description explaining why you have chosen that particular image (max. 250 words)

You may only submit one image and it must relate to your own research or your experience as a researcher. The description of your image should be understandable to a non-specialist audience and to the general public.

By submitting an image, you agree for it to be used publicly free-of-charge by the University of Kent, for instance for it to be displayed within the University or feature in university’s promotional materials, publications or websites.

*Note that you are eligible to enter the competition if you are enrolled onto your graduate course up to and including the 30^th of June 2019.

What should my image look like?

Your chosen image may be presented in either landscape or portrait orientation and may include any subject which you feel reflects your work. The photograph may either be presented in full colour or black and white. It must not have previously been submitted to or presented at any other photography competitions or events.

Note that any images, which infringe the copyrights of a third party or contain any harmful or otherwise objectionable or inappropriate content will be disqualified by the panel. If in doubt, email one of the organisers using the contact details provided below.

The image may be taken using any imaging device, however should be of a minimum resolution of 300 pixels per inch (ppi) and submitted in either a .jpeg or .tif format. All images selected for the exhibition will be printed on A2 foamex boards (420 x 594 mm or 16.5 x 23.4 inches). It is advisable to format the photograph to match this size prior to the submission and to be aware of what your image will look like when printed out at this size. 

What happens next?

All images submitted for the competition will be judged by a panel consisting of; academics, graduate students and public representatives, according to the following criteria:

• Subject content and strength of message, in relation to your research.
• Creativity of presentation, visual communication and general appeal of image.
• Image quality of photograph.

The very best images, up to 20 maximum, will be printed free of charge onto A2 Foamex boards and displayed at exhibitions on both Canterbury and Medway Campuses, which will be taking place over May (details to be confirmed). A public voting period will then commence in which students, academics and members of the public will be provided with the opportunity to vote for their favourite image, either online or by the provided ballot boxes.

The exhibitions at each campus will be followed by the final celebration and awards ceremony at the Medway campus during the week beginning with the 17^th June. Students, academics and members of the public will be invited to this event to celebrate postgraduate research together and will be allowed to vote for the best entry. Votes collected during this event will be added to the ones received throughout the exhibitions at each campus. Prizes will be awarded to the top 3 exhibitors (£250, £100 and £50), who will be presented with their award and certificate.

After the competition has finished, one set of prints will be donated to the Woolf College in Canterbury, where they will be permanently displayed within the foyer. The second set will be gifted to their contributors who will get to keep an A2 Foamex print of their original image for free.

Contact Details

If you have any further questions or concerns regarding the competition, do not hesitate to contact us by email as follows:

For Canterbury campus:

Hal Dorrington: hgd3@kent.ac.uk

For Medway campus:

Vilius Savickas: vs261@kent.ac.uk.

Good luck and we look forward to seeing your photographs!