The Archives of IT (AIT) digital photography competition runs alongside the first of a series of five new lesson plans created in collaboration with The Institution of Engineering and Technology focusing on technology, one of which is photography.
The digital literacy resources aim to deliver the computer science curriculum for Key Stages 1 and 2 (Years 1 to 6) and show how technology has helped to change the way we make art today. Learners can use these resources to find out how to take a good photo and then create their own digital art using the photos they have taken.
How to enter the AIT digital photography competition
The digital photography competition is open to Key Stage 1 students, and teachers are asked to follow the resource’s activity information, teachers’ notes and curriculum links, encourage students to complete the tasks and then email the results as entries to AIT’s competition. (Entries must be from the school and not the student).
The competition’s activity involves learners using digital cameras to capture images, then editing the images in the style of two digital artists, Sean Charmatz and Stephen McMennamy.
There is also a presentation on our competitions page with helpful instructions.
Developing digital photography and editing skills
Katie Anderson, AIT’s Education Consultant, said: “Our ambition is that this photography competition will inspire children and aid in developing both photography and editing skills.
“During the session, the children will also observe the artists’ work, allowing them time to appreciate and think critically about the artwork. Due to the nature of the session, being cross-curricular, it is our hope that, as well as nurturing students’ skills it will also help teachers deliver these areas of the curriculum in an engaging and new way.”
Digital camera prizes
The best entry will win a set of five digital cameras and memory cards for their school, with a runner up winning two digital cameras and a memory card for their school. The competition will be decided by a judging panel made up of AIT trustees.
We have chosen as the prizes the VTech KidiZoom Studio/Digital Camera with Special Effects, (or similar if out of stock).
We will also create a gallery with a selection of the competition entries.
Previous Competition
Last year we ran a competition to design a World Cup 2026 poster as a vector graphic and received nearly 100 entries.
This, and the current photography competition, are linked to the national curriculum by encouraging schoolchildren to use technology purposefully to create, organise, store, manipulate and retrieve digital content to accomplish a given goal.
Deadline and sending in entries
The deadline for the competition is 28 April 2023. Please email your students’ competition entries (and any questions you may have) to education@archivesit.org.uk clearly stating in the headline: AIT Schools’ Photography Competition.
Good luck!
