Subsequent to the recent announcement that the Jill Todd Photographic Award [JTPA] was ceasing its activities, the patron of the Award, the Jill Todd Trust, wish to profusely thank all, who over the past ten years, voluntarily contributed to its widely acclaimed success.
The extent of such gratitude cannot, however, be fully appreciated without a detailed understanding of all the events and processes involved – viz:
- Establishing an Advisory Team, consisting of practicing photographic artists, academics and photographers, to steer the organisation, implementation and success of the JTPA.
- Frequent meetings of that Advisory Team.
- Building and managing the JTPA website.
- Frequently updating the contents of the JTPA website, mainly to inform prospective JTPA entrants and record through illustration the winning works.
- Creating all graphics required for the promotion of and information about the JTPA.
- Announcing each annual JTPA via social media and circulation of posters to all twenty-four art and photography degree courses as well as art galleries.
- Electronically receiving around 100 entries each year.
- Scrutinising each entry to ensure compliance with the JTPA’s requirement that submitted work is that newly made after graduation.
- Collating and presentation of entries in an electronic format to enable judging.
- Sourcing and inviting eminent guest judges.
- Conducting and chairing a three-stage judging process.
- Researching and securing suitable and prominent gallery spaces for the purpose of exhibiting a selection of entrants’ works.
- Having the selected works to be exhibited printed, framed and mounted.
- Arranging for the use of the Hawthornden Lecture Theatre at the National Galleries of Scotland for an annual photography lecture.
- Seeking and securing eminent photographers to give that lecture and a masterclass in photography for a selected number of JTPA entrants.
- Coordinating the timing of the lecture and masterclass with that of the JTPA’s exhibition’s private viewing and opening.
- Giving appraisals of the winners’ and exhibited works during the private viewing / exhibition opening.
- Sourcing and securing donations to cover all costs associated with the above plus the JTPA prize money.
All here above required contributions from very many skilled personnel, curators, judges and commercial concerns.
Immense gratitude is therefore due to:
- The Advisory Team: Dr Wendy Mc Murdo; Jamie McAteer [both of whom were members for the first six years of the JTPA] Frank McElhinney and Nic Rue [who replaced Wendy and Jamie] and most especially Sam Sills, who was instrumental in initiating the JTPA and Robin Gillanders who single-handedly, scrutinised all entries; chaired all judging sessions; sought and secured the photography lecturers and masterclass leaders; chaired the lectures and masterclass sessions.
- Story UK: Which built, managed and constantly updated the JTPA website; created all of the JTPA graphics; received all entries electronically and prepared their presentation in an electronic format to enable efficiency in judging – all on a pro bona basis.
- Malcolm Dickson and Ben Harman: Directors respectively of Street Level Photo works, Glasgow and Stills Gallery, Edinburgh, for hosting the majority of the JTPA exhibitions and participating in the judging process.
- Guest judges: Anne Lyden, International Photography Curator at the National Galleries of Scotland and John Duncan, editor in chief of Source Magazine.
- All donors and especially The Lonergan Family Trust which funded in full the JTPA prize money every year for the past ten.
Trish and Barrie Todd 26/10/2022
