Green Templeton Photography Competition 2021
This competition has now closed. Thanks for entering!
Cameras at the ready! We’ve got all the details for the Green Templeton College Photography Competition 2021!
Theme
This year’s theme is ‘Celebrating the New Normal’.
It’s been a strange and unprecedented year for all of us with the COVID-19 pandemic impacting almost every aspect of our normal lives. While acknowledging the difficult times many of us have faced, the judges want to use the opportunity of this year’s competition to find the most striking and original image celebrating the ‘new normal’.
Who can enter
This competition is open to all members of the Green Templeton community including students, Fellows, Common Room Members, Research Associates, Associate Members, alumni and staff.
What’s the prize?
The winning entry will receive a £150 cash prize.
Competition rules
- Individuals may submit up to three original photographs (no filters applied).
- Selfies, landscapes, portraits etc. all welcome!
- Photographs must have been taken during this academic year.
- You must have the consent of any individuals pictured in your photographs.
- All entries must be the entrant’s original work and not infringe rights of other parties.
How to enter
The competition opens on Monday 19 April at 00:01 and closes on Sunday 23 May at 23:59.
Please submit your entry to communications@gtc.ox.ac.uk together with brief details of when and where the photograph(s) was taken.
The winner will be announced as part of Green Templeton’s Giving Day 2021, which takes place from Tuesday 1 to Wednesday 2 June 2021.
Judging panel
The judging panel will consist of:
- Sir Michael Dixon, Principal
- Dr Charles Roehr, Research Fellow
- Weimin He, Artist-in-Residence
- Bhagya Sivaraman, Alumna (MSc Evidence-Based Social Intervention and Policy)
- Acheampong Atta-Boateng, Student, (DPhil Geography and the Environment)
The judges will select a winning photograph which, in their opinion, best illustrates the theme of the competition. They will consider factors including composition, technical ability, originality and relevance to the theme.
Consent and reproduction
Responsibility for ensuring consent of any subjects of the picture lies with the photographer. By submitting photographs, individuals agree to Green Templeton reproducing the photographs across college platforms including but not limited to social media, the college website and printed materials, without a fee. A credit will be given wherever possible.
Previous entries
The Green Templeton College Photography Competition has been running since 2009, thanks to the generous support of the late neurologist Dr Elman Poole, who held a long interest in photography.
Here’s a selection of previous winners from across the years.

2020: Selfie-Isolation. Winner: Lore Purroy Sanchez. ‘These paper boats were on the bridge in the direction to Port Meadow during the pandemic.’

2019: College Members at Work. Winner: Pedro Stoeckli Pires. ‘During [this recital by Musician-in-Residence Maki Sekiya] she would play complex harmonies in such a fast manner it sounded like two people were playing at once. When I took this picture it seemed to represent that feeling well, as if there were two Maki playing together in that room.’

2018: Personalities of Green Templeton. Winner: Maria Spiga

2017: Moments I Shall Treasure. Winner: Eva Kohler. ‘The photo captures the idea of living on the Green Templeton campus – life is strongly characterised by studying but when doing so, there are always the short moments in between in which you can lift your eyes away from your reading list books and take a look at the beautiful Radcliffe Observatory.’

2016: Green Templeton Looking Out. Winner: Bhagva Sivaraman. ‘I took this photograph in December 2015, standing near the designated smoking area close to the Mathematical Institute, opposite the Observatory. The reflection inside the watery eye on a cold, cold sunny morning exposes the elegance and royalty of the Observatory, conveying Green Templeton College looking out.’

2015: The Changing Face of Green Templeton. Winner: Faraz Shibli. ‘I was working late in the library one night when the first snow of winter started to fall. I rushed outside with my South African friend, Roné, who had never before seen snow, and watched the blossom tree catching snowflakes in the McAlpine Quad. Not only did it represent the Changing Face of Green Templeton College in terms of the changing of the seasons, but also the transformation of a less often photographed part of the college’s lovely grounds.’

2012: Events at Green Templeton College. Winner: Charlotte Koldeweij

2011: A Day in the Life. Winner: Rasmus Hagen
Please direct any questions to communications@gtc.ox.ac.uk.
A wonderful evening for the Green Templeton community in Sydney. It is always special to see alumni reconnecting and making new connections wherever they are in the world.
Thank you to Oceania Group and everyone who joined the group’s inaugural annual dinner.
The group’s next gathering takes place in Brisbane on Tuesday 8 September – another welcome opportunity for our alumni and friends in the region to connect.
A great start to what we hope will become a growing tradition for the college`s community across Oceania.
#GreenTempletonCollege #OxfordAlumni
#alumni
Alumni in Switzerland came together in Geneva on Swiss National Day for the first in-person gathering of our college`s Switzerland Alumni Group.
After the group’s inaugural online meeting earlier in the year, the gathering was a chance to finally put faces to names, reconnect over memories of Green Templeton and Oxford and hear where life has taken everyone since.
Conversation ranged from career paths and professional exchanges to life in Switzerland and ideas for the growing alumni group.
Josephine Agyeman-Duah (DPhil Women’s and Reproductive Health, 2018), Chair of the Alumni Group, said:
‘It was splendid to reconnect with GTC alumni from different periods and to celebrate Swiss National Day together in Geneva. Our first in-person gathering was a wonderful opportunity to strengthen connections and our GTC alumni community in Switzerland.’
The group is now looking to establish a committee and hopes to connect with other Oxford and Cambridge alumni groups in Switzerland.
#GreenTempletonCollege #OxfordAlumni #GTCAlumni #Oxford #Geneva #Switzerland
Happy International Cat Day! 🐾
It’s been quite the year for Vincent!
After several years of making the college his home, we are delighted to say that we have officially adopted him. A familiar and much-loved face around the college grounds, he has a special way of bringing smiles to everyone he meets.
We’re so proud to officially call him ours!
Happy International Cat Day, Vincent! 💚🐈⬛
✨ Come behind the scaffolding with us.
We were given rare access to the Radcliffe Observatory restoration project, climbing onto the roof to see the incredible conservation work taking place behind the scenes.
From spectacular views across Oxford to the Observatory`s intricate zodiac carvings, we discovered details that are normally hidden from view.
Join us as we explore one of Oxford`s most iconic landmarks!
Earlier this summer, we were delighted to welcome audiences to our inaugural Garden Play, with a series of sold-out performances of Shakespeare`s `As You Like It` set in our beautiful college grounds.
Our gardens became the Forest of Arden as students, staff, alumni and the wider Oxford community came together to enjoy open-air theatre in a truly unique setting. Even better, the production has received fantastic reviews from Oxford`s student press.
A huge thank you to everyone who performed in and supported this wonderful initiative.
