All Hands on the Don – Photography Competition
Tell the story of the river Don
The River Don is a river back from the dead.
It’s time to stop being down about the past industrial degradation of the Don and start celebrating – injecting positivity into a wonderful river that is special for its wildlife, history, and communities.
As part of DCRT’s All Hands on the Don project, we are delighted to open our latest Photography Competition.
Entrants have the opportunity to tell the story of the river Don through their photography of the Doncaster area. Winning photographs will be exhibited in a public gallery and printed in our 2025 charity calendar!
First Prize: A £50 love2shop voucher & a copy of the DCRT calendar
Runners up: All that take part will receive a copy of the DCRT calendar and other goodies!
Competition Opening: 2nd May 2024
Competition Closing Date: Midday, 30th September 2024
Participants are also invited to join a series of free photography workshops, led by photographer Wendy Turner.
Competition Categories
The photography competition has four themed categories outlined below.
Entrants can enter a maximum of 10 images to any category.
1. A transformed landscape
The River Don originally wound and meandered across the landscape, but the path of the Don was altered in the 1600s. The land was drained to create farmland and the river was straightened into a long, straight channel.
This work transformed the river Don beyond recognition. Before this there was a huge expanse of wetlands and marshes, pools and ponds – supporting a landscape rich in wildlife.
As time went on, people continued to change the river. Factories installed weirs, dams and new channels. Roads and building were built over the river, covering it up. The creation of canals to transport goods meant that whole new waterways were created.
Entry Examples
Example: A Transformed Landscape
This photo of the River Don captures how it has been straightened
2. Industrial heritage
Discoveries of vast coal seams close to the river turned South Yorkshire into an industrial powerhouse. Workers were required to power industry, and settlements along the Don grew. This fast population growth and flourishing of industry spelt trouble for the River Don. The river became little more than an open sewer by which hundreds of thousands of people disposed of their waste. Factories and industrial trades spilled pollution and chemicals into the water.
Whilst the river declined, settlements continued to grow. Villages and towns in Doncaster became centres of industry and a proud hard-working sense of community developed. This remains an important part of the area’s cultural identity to this day.
Example: Industrial Heritage
This image captures the Don Aqueduct, where the river and canal cross over each other. The building of the canal allowed increased trade of goods across the world.
3. Formerly a polluted river
Up until the 1980s, much of the river held no fish and was ecologically dead. From the 1980’s onwards, the closure of industry, particularly steel and coal, combined with better environmental protection, allowed the river to recover.
The river is now a beautiful landscape to enjoy
Example: Formerly a polluted river
The clear water captures how a formerly polluted river can come to life again
4. Recovery of Wildlife
Riverside nature has slowly returned. Atlantic Salmon, Eurasian Otter and Kingfisher can now be seen on the River Don.
We want to highlight the incredible wildlife on the river Don, and ensure they are never lost again.
Example: Recovery of Wildlife
This image shows how wildlife has recovered, with orchids and wildflower contrasting against Conisbrough viaduct.
Competition Rules
• All images must be taken from within the project area shown.
• Entrants can enter a maximum of 10 images.
• All images must have a caption, location, and state which category the image is for.
• Multiple images can be submitted for the same category. E.g. You can submit all 10 images to just one category if you wish.
• Images have to be sent as a digital file but can be taken on film as long as it is on 35mm or larger.
• Images can be in colour or black & white, with minimal photoshopping i.e. adjustments can be made to brightness, contrast, and sharpness.
• Image size should be between 5 and 8 megabytes and can be sent via email or an online file transfer platform to [email protected]
• Entrants under 18 years old must have written consent from a parent or guardian. Photos by entrants under 16 years old should be submitted by a parent or guardian on their behalf.
• For any image to be considered, an entry form (download below) must be completed, signed and returned by email to DCRT: [email protected]
• The decision of the judges is final, we will not enter into discussion about individual entries.
Competition Area
All images must be taken from within the project area shown below.
