Cash prizes were awarded to winners of the Royal Bank of Canada’s photo contest “The Essence of Water”. The aim of the contest was to raise awareness in the Bahamas about the importance of water quality and sustainability. The contest was launched as a part of RBC’s third annual Blue Water Day, which was celebrated earlier this year.

To uphold its commitment to environmental sustainability, RBC established its global Blue Water Project in 2007. The Project funds organisations that provide watershed protection and work towards ensuring access to clean drinking water.

‘The Essence of Water’ photo contest invited members of the public to submit images featuring clean, fresh water. The challenge required amateur photographers to capture in their everyday surroundings the simple essence of one of the world’s most precious resources. Photo entries were judged on originality, technical excellence, composition, overall impact and artistic merit. The winner in each of two divisions – Adult division and Under 18 division - received $500.00. The second place and third place entries in each category received $250.00 and $100.00 respectively.

Maggie Crouch-Thompson submitted the winning entry in the adult division. This prize-winning image shows two tadpoles swimming in water that collected in the centre of a bromeliad plant. Second place in the adult division was awarded to Melissa Maura. Third place in the adult division went to Deangria Carey.

The winner in the under 18 division was Peteche Bethell. Miss Bethell, a high school student at Queen’s College, submitted a black and white photograph of a gentleman filling a bottle with water from a pump. The shutter speed and lighting used to produce the photograph beautifully captured the impact of the water as it filled the bottle.

Jan Knowles, RBC manager, public relations and communication, congratulated the winners of competition.

“The photography contest exemplifies RBC’s ongoing dedication to raising awareness within our community about the importance of preserving our environment for future generations. The calibre of the winning photographs was outstanding and we are sure these images will inspire the public to work towards the protection our water resources,” said Ms Knowles.