How come just when you think you’ve got something off to a tee, doing it a second time gets harder. Well you know what it is, having been such a success the first time now the stakes are raised and expectations require you to take it to a second level. So it is with this years SUN.
A stonking success with 40% more people entering this year, sponsorship up, and an improved production flow. Even I managed to get and entry accepted in this year’s book. The opening exhibition and awards ceremony in the Lowry Hotel Manchester. It provides a very nice space for the work to hang, but there’s nowhere really to make a proper presentation, and once the free drinks have run out the bar prices are through the roof. Next stop is a return visit for a three month stint at the Biscuit Factory in Newcastle.
Click on the book cover below to flip through live online.

We’ve brought the sun awards up to the Biscuit Factory. Quite a lot of work on Doug’s behalf getting it off the ground, with a bit of support from me, and a day and a half from us and the girls at the Biscuit to hang it. Hundreds of people turned up on the preview night…. and its on till the end of May.

www.thebiscuitfactory.com
www.shotupnorth.co.uk

Its been about two years of struggle to try and keep Shot Up North alive. In the end the solution was to take over ownership of SUN from the AoP and form it as an independent company.

So last night we presented the sun awards 2005 at the Circle Club in Manchester…. that’s me Doug and Tracey.
What a fab night! I was still buzzing when I got home and didn’t get to sleep till very late.
John Boyes got the award for Best Image, Len Grant got Best Use of an Image and Mark Enstone got the award for Best Web Site promoting a photographer.
The winners seemed genuinely overcome to have won. Everyone said it was wonderful for photographers to have a reason to be getting together again. And now so many people want to be involved from all sorts of angles.
Ric’s job on getting the design and the book of the exhibition together went really well. And although we had a few collywobbles not having seen the complete thing before it went to press, it probably is the best book we’ve achieved.
I can’t quite believe its all gone according to plan. But the hard work is now in keeping it going.

If you want to know how to become part of the sun awards or want to know what other events will be happening , visit the sun awards shotupnorth web site and send me an email from there.

Click on the book cover below to flip though the book live online…