Norwich’s Heritage Economic and Regeneration Trust (HEART) are launching their fifth community photography competition ‘There Be Dragons!’ as a precursor to Norwich Dragon Festival 2014: Warming Up Winter, which returns next year between 10^th – 23^rd February. This competition will celebrate dragons and other mythological beasts which are a part of Norwich’s rich heritage, as well as showcase once again the inspiring photography talent existing in our community. The competition will culminate with a public exhibition of the winning and shortlisted entries as part of the Dragon Festival celebrations.

The competition runs until Monday 9^th December, where the entries will then be shortlisted to decide which will feature in the public exhibition at The Forum in February 2014. There will be one winner in the under 25-year-old category and one winner in the over 25-year-old category, with a prize for each winner, including intu Chapelfield gift cards, trophies, heritage goodie bags and tickets to the launch event of the exhibition.

Entries must reflect the entrant’s own interpretation and exploration of the symbol of the dragon or other mythical beasts which are a feature of Norwich’s heritage. Judges will be looking at photographic content and composition; originality and creativity; the story-telling quality of the image and how it relates to the theme of the dragon or mythical beasts. Each entrant can enter up to five different photographs.

Examples of the dragon symbol, and other mythological beasts, around Norwich are wider than expected, including sculptures, wall paintings, stained glass, internal detailing (like the spandrel in Dragon Hall), exhibits in museums (Snap) and architectural detailing. The competition will not only be a test of peoples’ photographic skills but also a challenge to seek out and record unusual subjects.

Entries can be in black and white, or colour; portrait or landscape; external or internal; from a bird’s eye or worm’s eye view; features and close-ups or panoramic views; they can include the historical built environment such as buildings and streets, or can focus on or include particular objects; photographs can be literal or more abstract interpretations.

 

For details of how to enter the ‘There Be Dragons!’ Photography Competition, please visit www.heritagecity.org for an entry form and terms and conditions.

The competition offers a fantastic way to support local photographic talent. Winners from HEART’s previous competitions have since exhibited on their own and been commissioned for work as a result of the exposure and profile generated by the competition. HEART’s previous photography competitions have garnered fantastic results, with hundreds of people from across the community getting involved in ‘Alternative Angles: New perspectives on Norwich’s heritage’, ‘Norwich 12 buildings’, ‘Norwich Medieval Churches’ and ‘My Heritage, My Norwich’.

Organised by Norwich’s Heritage Economic and Regeneration Trust (HEART), with support from the Norwich Town Close Estate Charity, Norwich Business Improvement District (BID) and The Forum, the Norwich Dragon Festival will see two weeks packed full of dragon-related activities and events linked to the symbol of the dragon, celebrating its role in the heritage and culture of Norwich and promoting heritage to a broad audience during the post-Christmas depths of winter.

Dragon-seekers can enjoy films, sculpture, competitions, processions and walks, arts and craft workshops, puppet shows and dressing up, dragon trails, story-telling sessions, dance performances, talks and exhibitions, and artwork and displays created by community groups and local artists.

Dragons have been a heraldic symbol closely associated with the city of Norwich since the Middle Ages (including the Guild of St George and its procession featuring Snap the dragon), and today dragons are still visible across the city’s architecture and feature in many city celebrations.

In 2011, the Dragon Festival’s 60 events attracted 75,000 visitors and had a positive economic impact on the local economy of £400,000.

Michael Loveday, Chief Executive of Norwich HEART said: “Our community Photography Competitions have been amazingly successful, resulting in some brilliantly creative images of Norwich’s historic buildings. This year, we want to see your interpretations of mythological beasts in the city and their links with Norwich’s heritage.”

Sheridan Smith, Marketing Manager at intu Chapelfield said: “We are delighted to support the ‘There be Dragons!’ community photography competition. Norwich is a beautiful city, full of hidden gems, so it will be exciting to see what the talented entrants choose to photograph.”

More information about the festival as it is released will be available at www.heritagecity.org/dragonfestival, and the brochure will be available in January. You can also follow announcements about the festival on Twitter at @NorwichHEARTand #NorwichDragonFestival, or on Facebook – Norwich HEART or Norwich Dragon Festival.

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