The photography competition was being held under the theme “Pictures of Seychelles … to make you dream,” for school children between the ages of 14 and 16 years. The 14-year-old Anse Boileau secondary student was announced the winner of the competition during the Seychelles Ball 2011 that was held on Saturday, September 24, at the Berjaya Beau Vallon Bay Resort&Casino, where his winning photo was publicly revealed for the first time to guests at the ball.

Daryl Joubert was announced winner of the competition by the Chief Executive of the Seychelles Tourism Board, Alain St.Ange. He was presented with his winning prize of R10,000 by Mr. Jimmy Butt, the Seychelles Tourism Ambassador based in Lusaka in Zambia, who sponsored the prize for this first edition of the competition. It is to be noted that Mr. Butt has already reaffirmed sponsorship of the prizes for the second and third Seychelles’ tourism photography competitions.

Daryl Joubert has described his photo as “The beautiful sunset, so beautiful, it not only captures the eyes of humankind but also of two traditional boats set together as lovers do when the sun is setting in Seychelles.” The winning photo was unanimously agreed on, despite the high levels and qualities of the photos that were submitted for the competition.

The Seychelles Tourism Board had received photo submissions from some thirty students from both public and private schools. Photos were rated based on five criteria: originality, relevance to the theme, the story behind the theme, image quality, captivating and enticing nature of the image, and finally its usability in a tourism campaign. The judging panel, made up of well-known photographers Paul Turcotte and Laurent Levy; Ralph Lablache; Eileen Hoareau of the Seychelles Tourism Board; representative of the Ministry of Education Christine Payet, who is also an artist; and Veronique Herminie who was judging from a public perspective, has commended the effort of all candidates.

The judges have said that the photos submitted were surprising for such a young age group and they were all original and of high quality.

Hailing the 2011 annual photography competition a huge success, the judges are encouraging next year’s candidates to continue with an open mind and keep up the originality.