Schools

Standing In the Light

School Storytelling Award 2027

Presented by The Picture This Project

Nearly two centuries ago, Robert Cornelius stood in the light to create one of the world's first photographic self-portraits.

Today, students create and share thousands of images every year using smartphones, digital cameras, and increasingly, artificial intelligence.

As technology continues to evolve, one question remains:

How do we create meaning through images?

Standing in the Light invites schools to explore that question through photography, observation and visual storytelling.

About The Picture This Project

The Picture This Project is a Queensland-based not-for-profit organisation dedicated to fostering visual literacy, creativity and storytelling through photography.

Our projects, workshops and exhibitions encourage participants to look more carefully at the world around them and to explore how images shape the way we understand ourselves, our communities and our culture.

Through public exhibitions, educational workshops and community initiatives, The Picture This Project aims to create opportunities for people of all ages to engage with visual storytelling in meaningful ways.

Get your ticket below to enter for your student.

Donations to Zeffy are optional; hit other and leave it blank for $0

Why This Matters

Today's students are growing up in a world saturated with images.

Every day they encounter photographs, videos, social media content, advertising and increasingly AI-generated imagery.

Understanding how images are created, interpreted and shared is becoming one of the most important literacy skills of the 21st century.

Standing in the Light encourages students to:

Develop visual literacy skills
Explore storytelling through images
Strengthen observation and critical thinking
Consider authenticity and authorship
Reflect on how technology influences communication
Engage creatively with photography and contemporary image culture

The School Storytelling Award

Schools are invited to submit student photographs responding to the theme:

Standing in the Light

We are seeking photographs that demonstrate:

Observation
Presence
Curiosity
Storytelling
Connection to people, places or experiences

Images may be captured using:

Mobile phones
Digital cameras
Film cameras

What matters is not the equipment.

What matters is the story.

Each image submission includes a short written reflection (50-100 words) describing why the photograph was made and what the student hoped to communicate.

Winning School Prize

The Picture This Project Experience

The winning school will receive a unique half-day visual storytelling experience delivered by photographic educators and mentors Mark Williamson and Paul [Surname].

Students will:

Learn about the evolution of photography from film to digital and AI
Explore how images influence culture and society
Create photographs using analogue film cameras
Watch black and white film being developed
Participate in discussions around visual storytelling
View and discuss their own scanned film images

This hands-on experience gives students a rare opportunity to witness photographs emerging through a traditional analogue process while exploring the role images continue to play in contemporary life.

School Exhibition Package

Following the workshop, selected student photographs will be professionally:

Printed at A3 size
Mounted on foamcore
Prepared for display

The winning school will receive a curated exhibition package that can be displayed within the school community.

This creates a lasting celebration of student creativity and visual storytelling.

Black and White Film Experience

The journey from film to AI

With our practical black-and-white film photography experience, you can reintroduce your pupils to the basic art of visual storytelling. Each workshop, which is intended for high school visual arts and media cohorts, starts with an interesting talk about the fundamentals of photography, including composition, light, shadow, exposure physics, and visual literacy. Before moving away from automatic digital cameras to work directly with actual film, students get a solid conceptual basis by learning how to slow down and produce careful, meaningful photographs.

Students explore the tactile realm of film processing live, after the lecture. They directly develop their exposed rolls of film into physical silver gelatine negatives using developing tanks and chemicals. After the film dries, we scan the negatives into high-resolution digital data, bridging the gap between old craft and contemporary technology. Students gain a thorough, hands-on grasp of how light is collected, chemically developed, and digitised for contemporary creative use thanks to this comprehensive procedure.

Our fully furnished mobile experience delivers high-resolution scanning equipment, safe film developing chemistry, and all required processing tools right to your classroom. It provides a smooth, STEAM-aligned experience that links chemistry and physics with artistic expression, giving your students professional-calibre digital resources that are prepared for digital editing, portfolio presentation, or classroom evaluation.

Testimonials

Wanda Williams

Teacher

Silkwood School

In my capacity as a teacher, I have had the privilege of working with Mark on several occasions across a range of photography projects. His not-for-profit initiative has made an inspiring and meaningful contribution to our community while advancing the field of photographic arts. He consistently demonstrates exceptional knowledge and technical skill in photography, coupled with an outstanding ability to engage, motivate, and inspire participants. His sessions are both educational and empowering, marked by professionalism, creativity, and genuine care for student growth. Mark’s leadership and expertise have played a pivotal role in the success of every project he undertakes. Mark’s photography initiatives provided students with a wonderful opportunity to have fun while developing important photography and creative skills. The sessions were engaging and hands-on, allowing students to experiment, explore, and express their creativity in a supportive environment. It was fantastic to see how excited students were about their creations and how proud they felt of what they had achieved. They were keen to share their photographs and ideas with others, making the experience both enjoyable and meaningful. Furthermore, students developed lifelong skills and discovered the power of visual storytelling. I believe that storytelling through images holds a unique ability to foster empathy, understanding, and social awareness. Mark’s projects not only celebrate artistic excellence but also build a platform for dialogue, education, and community connection. I am proud to endorse this project and have every confidence that Mark Williamson possesses the experience, dedication, and vision to lead this important work to its full potential.

Professor

Kathy A. Mills

Collaborating with The Picture This Project's digital imagery workshops in schools for many years has been inspirational. The Picture This Project's ability to create highly engaging visual imagery programs for students of all ages and abilities is exceptional. The Picture This Project's background and skills in photography have constantly evolved to meet the challenges of new technology platforms, while preserving the essence of telling a story through the visual image.

Who We Are

Paul Bloomfield

Paul Bloomfield has been a photographer for more than thirty years, and he offers both expertise in photography and a profound creative vision to The Picture This Project. His career behind the camera since 1991 has included commercial production, studio portraits, darkroom printing, and high-profile live-event filming, such as coverage of the Byron Bay Blues Festival. Paul is a trained photographic judge who is presently pursuing a Master of Arts in photographic practice. His work combines conceptual narrative, practical camera skill, and fundamental visual philosophy.

Mark Williamson

Mark began his photographic career in London, UK, over 30 years ago in the mid 90's. After guarding with an Advanced Diploma of Professional Photography he set up his first commercial studio - working in product and magazine based industries. This was accompanied by regular stints each year, escaping the English winters and chasing elusive wildlife across several African countries.

He then moved to Australia over 20 years ago and opened his first commercial studio here, Shed11 Studio on the Gold Coast. He continued to work in multiple commercial and professional disciplines in the photographic industry.

Around this time he began his next mission to promote and advocate for further educational developments in Visual Literacy for the younger generations - as it became apparent of our changing relationship with the visual image via new social media tools and online engagement within the broader society. No more so than our younger generations.

To help this younger generation to better understand and discern the expanding online visual imagery landscapes he created his first NFP Big Picture Industries - which led to several productive and successful collaborations with leading researchers in children's education programs and development. Now for the next phase of this journey along Paul Bloomfield we have created the Picture This Project. The journey continues to provide and advocate for deeper understanding and education in the value and power of the visual image.

Pictures Matter.

Image Rights and Usage Clause

Intellectual Property and Usage Rights

Ownership Remains with the Photographer: By entering this competition, all photographers retain full copyright and ownership of their submitted images.
Usage License granted to the Organiser: By submitting an entry, the photographer grants The Picture This Project a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free, perpetual license to use, display, publish, and reproduce the submitted images solely for advertising, marketing, promoting, and publicizing the competition, future iterations of the competition, and the organisation's related activities.
Scope of Media: This license specifically includes, but is not limited to, publication on the web (including the competition website, social media channels, and digital newsletters) and in print media (including promotional posters, flyers, event programs, and press releases).
Moral Rights and Attribution: The Picture This Project agrees to clearly credit the photographer by name whenever their image is published or displayed. No images will be resold or licensed to third parties for commercial gain without the express written consent of the photographer.

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