Double-Whammy: Two Students Shortlisted for Photographer of the Year

Every year, the UK Picture Editors’ Guild runs a competition to find Britain’s most talented photographers and video-journalists. It recognises outstanding photography from the world of news, royalty, sport, business, fashion and entertainment. And this year, two of the incredible photographers recognised were students from Falmouth University.

BA(Hons) Press & Editorial Photography students, Luke Cameron and Jordan Pettitt, have both been shortlisted for the ‘Fujifilm Student Photographer of the Year’ award, taking two out of the three finalist spots available. The winner will be announced in March, at an awards ceremony in London.

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BA(Hons) Press & Editorial Photography

The highly competitive selection process is run by a high-profile judging panel; one that includes representatives from newspapers such as The Daily Telegraph, The Times and The Independent on Sunday.

Luke, who is in his first year of the course said: “When I saw my name in a tweet from the Guild saying that I had been shortlisted, I was shocked and elated. I really didn’t think there was much chance of it happening. I’m really pleased the pros saw value in my work.”

Jordan, a third year, agreed: “I’m delighted to have been shortlisted. I think it’s testament to the strength of the course here at Falmouth, with such fantastic lecturers that actively promote us pushing our work out into the industry to gain exposure. It feels great to have had my work recognised at such a level by industry professionals.” 

The industry “real-world” focus and quality of the teaching practitioners on the BA(Hons) Press & Editorial Photography degree was what drew both Luke and Jordan to Falmouth University. 

Jordan told us: “Not only do [the lecturers] have a wealth of experience across the industry, but it was evident that there was a healthy and intense work ethic ingrained from top to bottom on the course. From day one, they made it explicitly clear that you will only get from the course what you put in, and that mentality was something I knew I could handle.” 

Since being shortlisted for the ‘Fujifilm Student Photographer of the Year’ award, Jordan has also been offered a job as a staff photographer at an established independent UK press agency. When he graduates in a few months’ time, he’ll step straight into the industry.