The twenty shortlisted entries were selected by a panel of judges, chaired by the Presiding Officer. The winner will be announced at an awards ceremony on 3 October. The images will be displayed in the Senedd, and visitors to the exhibition will be able to vote for their favourite photograph in a special People’s Choice award.

View the shortlisted entries here: http://www.flickr.com/groups/2091604@N21/pool/

Democracy in Action in Wales was developed in conjunction with the University of Wales Newport’s School of Film, Photography and Digital Media and Ffotogallery, the national development agency for photography and lens based media in Wales.

Its aim was to get people to see that politics is about issues that matter to individuals, their families and their communities, and to illustrate that by working with their elected representatives, people can address those issues and get the cogs of democracy to work in their favour.

“I am delighted with both the response and standard of entries we have had to our first photography competition,” said Rosemary Butler AM, Presiding Officer of the National Assembly for Wales.

“Some of the photographs show real imagination, passion and talent.

“The judging panel has a challenge ahead to decide on an overall winner. However, I’m just as keen to find out what the people of Wales think as well so I would urge everyone to come to Senedd to see them up close or vote online at the Democracy in Action in Wales website.”
The judges’ overall winner and the People’s Choice winner will each win a digital SLR camera donated by the University of Wales Newport’s School of Film, Photography and Digital Media and a photography course run by Ffotogallery.

The judging panel included internationally renowned photographers
- David Hurn – Photojournalist, member of Magnum Photos and founder of the Documentary Photography BA at the University of Wales, Newport;
- Professor Dai Smith – Chair of the Arts Council of Wales, distinguished historian and writer on Welsh arts and culture;
- Gideon Koppell – Artist and film-maker, and Professor of Film at Aberystwyth University and an Associate Fellow of Green Templeton College, University of Oxford;
- Marc Evans – Film-maker and director of Snow Cake and Hunky Dory; Marc Evans is a visiting professor at the University of Glamorgan’s creative arts school ATRiuM, and;
- Betina Skovbro – Organiser of Photomarathon UK and freelance photographer, based in Cardiff.
- Rosemary Butler AM – National Assembly Presiding Officer and Chair of the judging panel;

The shortlisted entries are now in display at the Senedd

The final winning entries will be announced at a prize-giving ceremony on 3 October.