A photo depicting Richard Pearce’s art studio on Bryher has scooped this year’s top prize in the annual Isles of Scilly Photography Competition, which is organised annually by the Islands’ Partnership. Kathryn Watson, a Metropolitan Police officer from Cambridge took the photo, entitled “An Artist’s Studio”, whilst on holiday with her wife and in-laws during the Creative Scilly festival in May this year.

Kathryn’s photo was selected as the outright winner from 35 shortlisted photos from across eight categories after she polled more than 1,000 votes on the Visit Isles of Scilly Instagram feed (@visitislesofscilly). In fact, Kathryn had no less than five photos shortlisted in this year’s competition, so a very worthy winner. She wins a three-night break for two on Tresco Island and two return flights with Penzance Helicopters, the new travel service to Scilly which starts up in March 2020.

A passionate amateur photographer, this year was the first time Kathryn had brought her wife to the islands. “I wanted her to discover this amazing archipelago so close to Cornwall that hold very fond memories for me,” she says. “Living in Cornwall as a child, we used to visit Scilly often, staying on St Mary’s and island hopping to all the others. I remember the freedom – being allowed to wander off on our bikes and being left to our own devices. These days, I find the islands instantly relaxing and totally stress-free.

“The islands are also perfect for budding photographers,” she continues. “I rarely get the time to take experimental photos these days due to my busy work schedule, but when I was on Scilly earlier this year, I enjoyed getting up at 4.30am, and getting out. Being on the islands for Creative Scilly was also perfect timing as I loved all the street performances and artists’ workshops. It was fantastic to bring together the favourite elements of my holiday in one image, and even better that it helped me win the competition!”

This year’s Visit Isles of Scilly photography competition, which has run every year since 2014, saw more than 700 entries across 8 categories: #MyScilly, Dark Skies, Dine the Isles, Everyday Magic, Instaworthy, Scilly Creatives, Scilly Events and Wild Scilly.

“The Isles of Scilly Photography Competition is now a firm fixture in the islands’ calendar which draws a lot of enthusiasm and excitement from visitors, and islanders, keen to showcase their photographic talent,” says Nick Bond, Executive Director of the Islands’ Partnership. “The quality of the entries this year was second to none and we’re delighted that so many will find their way into our existing photographic library and also feature in our marketing materials throughout 2020. Kathryn’s photo, together with a number of the shortlisted finalists, will also feature in the forthcoming 2020 Isles of Scilly Guide.”

The Islands’ Partnership would like to thank Tresco Island and Penzance Helicopters for providing the fantastic prize for the competition.

The Isles of Scilly scooped three gongs at last week’s dazzling Cornwall Tourism Awards which, for the second year running, took place in the stunning Truro Cathedral.

Tanglewood Kitchen won Gold in the Tourism Innovation of the Year category for its Tanglewood Table – an intimate dining experience for eight people set in the Old Sorting Office on St Mary’s – and Longstone Lodge & Café also won Gold in the New Tourism Business of the Year for its new style hostel accommodation and café. Karma St. Martin’s took a Bronze Award in the hotly-contested Small Hotel of the Year category.

This year, 77 awards were given out across 27 different categories – with standards once again taking a step up. The awards celebration was enhanced by a hilarious presentation from Cornish comedian Johnny Cowling who, together with host and BBC presenter Daphne Skinnard, at one point had all 320 guests on their feet singing karaoke!

“It is a real joy to see Scilly’s business excel at the Cornwall Tourism Awards – the standards are high, and getting higher all the time, and our leading businesses on the islands have to compete very hard to deliver a fantastic tourist offering,” says Nick Bond, Executive Director of the Islands’ Partnership (the Destination Management Organisation for the Isles of Scilly) which is instrumental in encouraging its member businesses to take part. “All our winners should be congratulated on their success, especially in a destination as competitive as Cornwall, and we hope that more of Scilly’s accommodation providers, attractions and experiences are encouraged to enter next year and beyond. It was a great night – not just for the islands – and a superb way to wrap up the 2019 season.”

The successful finalists from Cornwall & the Isles of Scilly will be fast-tracked into matching categories in the South West Tourism Excellence Awards in February 2020 and possibly invited to represent Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly in the National VisitEngland Awards in April 2020.

The full list of finalists, as well as the film taken on the night can be found on the Cornwall Tourism Awards website. https://www.cornwalltourismawards.org.uk/