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RAF Photographic Competition 2017: 'People's Choice'

The annual public vote for the ‘People’s Choice’ RAF image of the year opens at 17:00 BST today. Members of the public can choose one of nine contenders through the dedicated website.

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Images of the Chinook Helicopter, the Red Arrows, and the Falcons are among the nine images selected by expert judges from over 800 that were submitted by RAF personnel, including both professional RAF photographers and amateurs.

The nine images being put to the public were chosen by Marc O’Neill, Night Photographer and Light Painter from Digital Noise Photography; the Co-Creative Director and owner of Studio MM, Madeline Penny, and former Picture Editor for Barcroft Media, Morgan Coates who currently works for LBC News London.

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Judge Mark O’Neill said:

“Judging this year’s instalment of the RAF’s prestigious photography competition was no easy task. The submitted photographs are of an exemplary standard and cover a broad range of briefs, subjects and photographic disciplines; from front-line action, to heart-warming portraits."

"This wide variety goes some way towards revealing just how challenging and diverse a role that the RAF’s Photographers are faced with and how well they execute it. I must, on behalf of the panel of judges, offer my congratulations to all involved in the competition and now eagerly await the results of the People’s Choice category.”

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The public can vote by visiting https://www.raf.mod.uk/photo-of-the-year/2017/ or from next week, by visiting the RAF Museum at Hendon, London and the RAF Museum at Cosford, Shropshire. Voting closes at 23:59 on Wednesday, 20 September 2017, with the awards announced at a ceremony on Thursday, 21 September 2017.

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12 other categories were featured in the 2017 RAF photo competition. Winners for these categories were selected by the judges. The finalists are all available via the RAF photo competition website:

  • The Judge’s choice RAF image of the year
  • Photographic section (professional photographers only)
  • Technical/Engineering (professional photographers only)
  • RAF Operations & Exercises (professional photographers only)
  • Current RAF equipment (professional photographers only)
  • Sports (professional photographers only)
  • Personnel (professional photographers only)
  • Open video (open to all personnel)
  • Open image (open to all personnel)
  • The Mallett Student Trophy (RAF basic training students at the Defence School of Photography only)
  • Amateur military (non-professional photographers only)
  • RAF Photographer of the year

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