Melanie Jenson's candid image of local identity Cedda O'Neill proved to capture the hearts of the Moree public, who voted it the photograph that best captured the Moree Plains in the 2019 My Moree Photography Competition.
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The My Moree Photo Exhibition drew to a close at Bank Art Museum Moree (BAMM) on Saturday, and now the votes have finally been counted to reveal Ms Jenson as the winner of the highly-coveted People's Choice Award.
Moree Plains Shire Council's acting economic development and grants manager Susannah Pearse said the competition "far exceeded" expectations, with a "fantastic field of entries".
"The competition was tight with a very high calibre of photos on display," she said.
"However the general public have declared that Melanie Jenson's photo of Cedda O'Neill to be the photo that resonated with them most, and the most emblematic of the region we all choose to call home.
"Congratulation to Melanie on her stunning image - the People's Choice winner for 2019. It is an achievement to be celebrated."
As was the case for the 2017 My Moree Photography Exhibition, the People's Choice prize put the power in the hands of those viewing the exhibition. Upon entry to BAMM during the exhibition period, visitors were issued with a voting card to nominate their favourite photograph of the 300 entries, which were grouped into the categories of 'People of the Plains', 'Our Country', 'Our History', 'Iconic Moree Plains' and 'Up and Coming Talent'.
As winner of the People's Choice Award, Ms Jenson receives a $1,000 voucher to Harvey Norman Moree.
Council's integrating planning and reporting manager Libby Carter thanked all participants in the 2019 My Moree Photography Exhibition.
"The My Moree team and council would like to thank every single person that submitted an entry into the competition and made it the beautiful celebration of life on the Plains that it is," she said.
"We are so lucky to have a wonderful space such as BAMM to display the exhibition, so thank you to the BAMM team for another successful partnership. It really is no wonder the exhibition was so well patronised by locals and visitors alike."