Victoria’s Bethany Brouwer is the grand prize winner of BC Hydro’s annual Team Power Smart photo contest sponsored by London Drugs. Brouwer’s photo, entitled “Nature’s Jewels,” was picked from more than 660 entries from across the province.
Victoria’s Bethany Brouwer is the grand prize winner of BC Hydro’s annual Team Power Smart photo contest sponsored by London Drugs. Brouwer’s photo, entitled “Nature’s Jewels,” was picked from more than 660 entries from across the province.
Through the photo contest, BC Hydro asked Team Power Smart members to take an artistic approach to sustainability. This year’s theme – “my favourite green thing” – had the judges looking for photos that established a clear link between electricity and conservation.
Brouwer’s winning photograph focuses on water, which is essential to the clean hydro-electric power supply of the province. The photo features a close-up of a leaf with droplets of water. The caption reads: “Gems left in the wake of rain!” As an award for her photo, Brouwer is now the proud owner of a digital single-lens reflex camera and lens from London Drugs.
Brouwer’s photograph will be featured on two billboards across B.C.: one in Victoria on Highway 17 and the other in Vancouver, as well as on a bus shelter ad near her home in Victoria. Brouwer’s photo will also be displayed alongside the top 10 photos in a special display at the Behind the Scenes Exhibition at the Royal BC Museum in Victoria from Nov. 30, 2010, to Jan. 9, 2011.
“Sustainability means doing my best to make the world a better place, even if that seems like something really small,” said Bethany Brouwer. “I love showcasing the little things in life, the details that we normally don’t take any time to notice. How many of us can say we take time out of our day to consider the simple beauty of something like a raindrop? Now I have this photo to remind me of how wonderfully complex and beautiful even something like a raindrop can be.”
Photos were judged on originality, relevance to theme, composition, lighting and technical quality, and overall impression. This year’s judging panel included marketing representatives from BC Hydro, a Royal BC Museum representative, Run for One Planet co-founder Matt Hill, and 2009 contest winner Larry Paris.
“There are many ways for individuals to make simple sustainable lifestyle choices every day,” said Lisa Coltart, BC Hydro’s executive director of Power Smart and Customer Care. “The purpose of the photo contest was to spread public awareness about the importance of being good caretakers of our beautiful province’s natural resources. Bethany’s photo reminds us that sustainable options can be found among the simple things that surround us daily.”
A list of the top 10 winners and their photos can be found at londondrugs.com/teampowersmart and at flickr.com/bchydro.
To join Team Power Smart and receive information regarding ways you can be smart with your power, visit bchydo.com.
