The black and white ‘Parent with Child,’ taken by Kirkby-born artist Tony Mallon, contrasts the tender relationship between a father and his young son against the nineteenth-century painting Fantine by Margaret Hall. The painting in the background depicts the literary character Fantine from Victor Hugo's novel Les Misérables. Fantine loses her job because of her illegitimate child, and in the painting watches protectively over her baby before having to give her up.

The judges chose Tony’s photograph as winner of the City Centre category because of its striking contrast between innocence and experience, love and despair and have and have not. Tony captured his photograph just the day before the competition closed. 

Tony says he makes a point of viewing the painting every time he visits the gallery. He said, “Before capturing the picture, I first shot two artists, one sketching various sculptures and the other producing a painting of one of the exhibits, but when I came to the Fantine painting I knew this had the potential to make a great photo. I sat opposite the picture for several times over a three hour period waiting for a parent with child to view the painting. I don’t know who the father and child are.”

Judge Sandra Penketh, Deputy Director of Art Galleries at National Museums Liverpool, was so impressed with the photograph that she has arranged for Tony to attend a session at the Conservation Centre where he will learn how to cut and mount his photograph to a museum standard, and then see it professionally framed.

Entries were judged by Mike McCartney (Chair), award-winning Echo photographer Martin Birchall, Deputy Director of Art Galleries at National Museums Liverpool Sandra Penketh and Artistic Director at the Everyman Playhouse Gemma Bodinetz.

Winner of the Hope Street category was Ken Travis, with his fish eye lens image of Hope Street taken from Liverpool Cathedral Tower. Ken says that he was inspired by the sharp lines of the Liverpool landscape painting which is now in the Museum of Liverpool. 

Winner of the Junior Category was Adam Fazakerley, who captured the globe in front of the Liver Building and Port of Liverpool Building.

Brother and sister James and Mia Shalliker from Formby were commended in the Junior category. James, 6, and Mia, 3, spent a day taking photographs up and down Hope Street with their grandparents, capturing the Metropolitan Cathedral from their own unique perspectives.     

The People’s Winner, a new category for this year, and chosen by members of the public who visited the exhibition of entries, was named as 25-year-old Eve Jordan.  Eve captured her glamorous beekeeper mum feeding a car parking meter on Hope Street whilst going to work at the Hope Street Honey’s Blackburne House base. The judges also commended the picture for its humour and the fact that it depicted the glamour of Liverpool women - even in unusual situations.    

Eve said, “The bees had lost their queen and were in a state of disarray, so my mum and a few others had to get to Blackburn House quickly stop them flying off. My mum turned up all dressed up in her bee keeping clothes ready for action and I went with her to help out. It was then that I realised how bizarre she looked in her outfit and it gave me the idea to snap her in the action of paying for her parking ticket.”  

Eve also has strong connections with Blackburne House, having taken a photography course there not long before she took her winning photograph.  Eve said, “I love Hope Street and I love taking photographs and documenting moments to keep forever. Hope Street has a mix of quirky and traditional places and a fantastic atmosphere – it is my favourite part of Liverpool and it really is an inspiring place.” 

Eryl Parry, Director of Enterprise at Liverpool Cathedral said, “The thing that really came through in this year’s competition was the mix of both affection and humour that the people of Liverpool express towards their most inspiring places.  The quality and diversity as well as the thoughtful approach behind so many of the photographs is impressing all our visitors.   The exhibition that this year’s entries have produced is by far our best and we’d like to thank all those who entered – it’s a genuine celebration of the city they love.”  

See the winners and shortlisted entries on our flickr site

All entries will be on display at the Cathedral until the end of October.   

The full shortlist

Category: Hope Street

Ken Travis

Eve Jordan

Ashley Leach

Winner: Ken Travis

Category: Junior

Adam Fazakerley

Angelica Veroni

Winner: Adam Fazakerley

Commended: Mia and James Shalliker

Category: Everyman

Lia Riozzi

Edwin Robson

Anna Fairley Nielsson

Winner: Anna Fairley Nielsson

Category: In the City Centre

Brian Mason

Patrick Higgins

Tony Mallon

Winner: Tony Mallon

Category: People’s Winner

Eve Jordan

Second:

Adrian Webb

Joint Third:

Anna Fairley Neilsson

Paul Doran