We would like first of all to offer all those who took part in this year's first ever CRESC Photography Competition our very sincere thanks. The standard was incredibly high and we were surprised at the sheer volume of entries we received. Having said this, we did feel that two photographs in particular most closely matched the brief and these were Wing Yin Chan's 'Ordinary morning in Spring' and Adam Swann's 'Bolton Ex-Victoria Mill'. Congratulations to both photographers on capturing such wonerful images, we look forward to meeting both at the opening of the CRESC Annual Conference on 6th September 2011.

Wing Yin Chan - 'Ordinary morning in Spring' (1st Prize)

Isle of Dogs, the East End peninsula of London, is one of the most divided districts in our capital. While the affluent, glamorous banking area Canary Wharf is merely 10 minutes walk away, life is close to the bread line behind these poorly-insulated windows.  Many struggle silently, day after day. 
Having the district as its backdrop, this image captures an ordinary moment of minimal urban life.  It aims to serve as a reminder of the social divide in our society, an inconvenient truth we can no longer afford to deny.

‘Bolton ex-Victoria Mill’ by Adam Swann (2nd Prize)

This is the only remaining part of Victoria Mill, Horwich near Bolton, Lancashire, built in 1903-04. The mill was operated by W T Taylor (1848-1925) who were the “the largest manufacturer of towels in the British Empire” and the second largest worldwide. The mill remained in use until 2007 when it was demolished and the doorway still stands on its own.

I did not know about the mill and its history when I passed it in February 2008 and stopped the car to take this picture. Inside the doorway of the ex-mill, the fading orange afternoon light evokes a human presence and the activity happening within the now demolished walls in times gone by. In the distant background the Reebok football Stadium in Bolton marks the contrast between the new and the old, showing what comes to replace grand old mills like this one when they are sadly gone.

The winning entrants will:

• have their work published in the prestigious online magazine Manchester Review
• have their work featured on the CRESC FRAMING THE CITY conference brochure (1st prize, front cover; 2nd prize, back cover)
• receive a collectors’ item hardback copy of the work of photographer Stephen Gill
• receive a cash prize (1st prize £100; 2nd prize £50)
• have their work displayed at the Royal Northern College of Music during the conference
• attend a prize giving at the conference opening ceremony on 6th September

Copyright of winning photographs remains with the prize winners and use of the photographs will be limited to the conference brochure, display during the conference and publication in the Manchester Review as per the conditions of the Creative Commons Licence.