$25,000 Major Prize Awarded to ‘Lone Surfer’ Image

“Lone Surfer” taken by: Brad Liber

Sydney, 18 December, 2006 – Canon is pleased to announce the winner of the Find Your Shot photo competition, Brad Liber, for his photograph titled ‘The Lone Surfer’. The contest, timed to celebrate the launch of Canon’s newest addition to the digital SLR range, the EOS 400D, was created to encourage Australians to experiment with photography and view the world differently through the images they capture.

With more than 23,000 entries and 43,000 online votes, the prize winning photograph stood out above the tens of thousands of other entries with its unique beauty. Throughout the eight weeks of the competition three winners were selected weekly – two by the online community as well as a wildcard pick. These 24 weekly winners were then eligible for the ‘Find Your Shot’ major prize.

The winning image was selected by the Find Your Shot judges - acclaimed athlete Matt Shirvington, travel expert Shelley Craft, Canon Australia Managing Director Mr Shuichi Tsukahara, and renowned photographer Tim Clayton - as best capturing the spirit of the ‘Find Your Shot’ contest. For his winning image, Brad receives an incredible once-in-a-lifetime trip worth $25,000, a personal travel consultant to help plan, and an in-depth workshop with professional photographer Tim Clayton in preparation for the trip.

With her entry, ‘The Rose’, Kate McNamara took out the Peoples Choice award. The people’s choice winner was chosen by the online community and will receive $5,000 towards a dream holiday.

“The competition has delivered exactly the result we hoped for; increasing interest in photography as well as encouraging consumers at all levels to get out there and be creative with photography,” noted Shannon Tweedie, Marketing Communications Manager for Canon Imaging Products Group.  “We are thrilled at the overwhelming amount of support and interest in the competition and that Canon has been able to encourage aspiring Australian photographers.”

The contest, launched on September 24 included an online photo gallery showcasing all the incredible images entered into the contest. In support of the competition Canon also created a web-based community and online forum that provided useful photography tips to aspiring photographers (canon.com.au/eos400d/tips3.aspx).

To view the competitions online gallery, please visit www.canon.com.au/findyourshot.
For other Canon product information, please visit canon.com.au or contact directly on phone at 1800 021 167.