Plane spotters of all ages celebrated their love of aviation and photography at a special prizegiving ceremony held at Nelson Airport last week (20 August) to announce the winners of the third annual Nelson Airport Plane Spotting Photo Competition.
The Overall winner was Joe Bailey, and his winning image of a Q300 aircraft landing at dusk now joins previous winning images on display in the Nelson Airport terminal. Joe is recent arrival to Nelson, and has been getting to know the region by getting out and taking photographs.
Independent judge Martin de Ruyter commended the entrants on their outstanding efforts. He said of Joe’s image, “The winning photograph is just beautiful. It has all the elements required to hang on the wall at Nelson Airport with the previous winners of this competition.”
Jill Braithwaite took out the Smartphone category with a unique shot taken from the perspective of a passenger looking at the approaching runway over the shoulder of the pilot in a Sounds Air plane.
The youngest entrant this year won his category with a stunning night image of reflected light from the airport’s runway. Tristan Merschdorf, 9, was announced the Youth category winner. The Youth category is open to photographers under the age of 18.
Youth category independent judge Sophea Nguyen (a popular aviation content creator) said of Tristan’s photo: “To me it showcases a very dedicated photographer who braved the elements to capture the perfect shot. This long exposure photograph takes planning, patience, and dedication. The photo itself captures a high-intensity moment in aviation. The lights illuminating the runway and surrounding areas add to the sense of drama and energy.”
Nelson Airport Head of Corporate Services, Beth Catley, said the competition was a great way for the airport to recognise and acknowledge the strong local plane spotting community, as well as encourage an interest in aviation amongst the wider community too.
“We have around 80 entrants every year, and the quality and variety of photos is so impressive. We love seeing such a wide range of people getting involved, from ages 9 to 70-plus, and with entrants from all around the country.”
The wider airport community gets in behind the competition, donating a range of fantastic prizes for the winners, including:
A $500 Sounds Air voucher (Overall winner)
Trial flight with the NZ Aviation Academy (Overall runner-up)
Trial flight with Helicopters Nelson (Smartphone winner)
Trial flight with the Nelson Aero Club (Smartphone runner-up)
Flight simulator experience with the Nelson Aviation College (Youth winner)
Ride in the Nelson Airport fire truck (Youth runner-up)