The winners of the first ever Honiton Community College Photography were celebrated at an awards ceremony.

BUDDING photographers were celebrated in Honiton as part of the first community photography competition.

The winners of Honiton Community College Community Photography Competition were announced at an award ceremony held in the Sixth Form Centre on Thursday, November 17.

The competition, which surrounded the theme of nature, invited entries from people of all ages.

A judging panel made up of the Mayor of Honiton Peter Fleming, Governor Mick Clement, Nick Dormand the Head of Creative Arts and Midweek Herald reporter Katy Griffin selected the winners of the Under 13, 14 to 16, 17 to 19 and over 19 categories.

The winners included Holly James (Under 13), Rosie Bawn (14-16), Ben Wassal (17-19) and Stephanie Johnson (Over 19), and were given photography vouchers from Jessops in Exeter.

Rosie Bawn was crowned as the overall winner and was awarded Jessops vouchers and a day in the studio with Birmingham based advertising agency Rave, who have worked on campaigns for Harry Potter,

Rosie said: “I am so shocked. I was not expecting to win and I am really pleased.

“I am going to do lots more photography and will definitely carry on with it.

“I didn’t even expect to win my category let only the whole competition.”

Assistant Principal Iain Slade, who put the event together, said: “The competition stemmed from trying to improve the involvement with the community and getting them involved with the college.

“It is the first community college competition and I think the response has been really good and we are hoping to encourage future involvement.”

The college also wanted to thank Gill Nicholls for her assistance in the printing, mounting and presentation of the photos and arranging the projection.

A calender featuring the selected photographs will also be produced and sold with proceeds being donated to local charities.