JTPA WINDING-DOWN - The Jill Todd Trust

It is with deep regret that the JTPA team wish to announce that after ten years we are winding down our activities. We feel proud of our achievements, the central aim of which has been to support and encourage recent graduates to make new work. The Awards are in memory of Jill Todd, a young graduate of Napier University, tragically taken by cancer at far too young an age. Jill’s parents, Barrie and Trish initiated the Award along with Sam Sills, back in 2012 and it then went from strength to strength with the support of both Stills Gallery in Edinburgh and Street Level Photoworks in Glasgow. Applications to submit a new body of work were invited from recent graduates, with supporting statements, which then went through a selection process with cash awards and work framed and exhibited. We feel we really encouraged photographers to get back into making work after the often fallow time following graduation. The benefits were not just for the ‘winners’, but for all those who were prompted to made fresh work for JTPA. That was our aim and we hope we were successful in that. In further pursuit of our aims, we also ran an annual ‘masterclass’ for selected entrants, led by an eminent practitioner. We would like to thank Ben Harman, director of Stills and Malcolm Dickson, director of Street Level for their support over the years. Also ‘external’ judges, John Duncan and Anne Lyden, who gave freely of their time, as well as those eminent photographers who conducted the masterclasses. In addition, we benefitted from the generosity of a variety of sponsors for the cash awards. Also, special thanks to the design consultancy Story UK, who generously designed and administered our website pro bono. We’re feeling it’s the end of an era, and it would be wonderful to think that there is someone out there who could continue our legacy by encouraging and tangibly supporting ‘young’ photographers. Finally our website, which is a rich resource of interviews and videos, is still active.

www.jilltoddphotoaward.com

Robin Gillanders - 02/10/2022