Macular Disease Foundation Australia Patron, Ita Buttrose, announced the grand finalist and category winners of the mEYE World Photographic Competition 2015. The winners were selected from over 2,400 photographs entered to celebrate the theme – See My World.

An initiative of the Macular Disease Foundation Australia, the competition is designed to raise awareness of macular disease, the leading cause of blindness and severe vision loss in Australia.

The high profile judging panel included Ita Buttrose, internationally recognised photographer Rex Dupain, and one of Australia’s longest serving news photographers, Alan Pryke.

As head judge Ita Buttrose said that she was looking for entrants to show her a little piece of their world.

“This competition reminds us to value our vision,” said Ita. “Photography captures the world around us like no other medium. The photos entered were magical and showed the personal and creative interpretations of the entrant’s world.”

Rebecca Burton of Melbourne is this year’s Grand Finalist with a photograph of her child being captivated by the way dust particles floated in the air.

In her description of the photograph Rebecca said, “Golden morning light streaming into the kitchen and a box of shredded paper. My child was captivated by the dust motes dancing in the air; I got to peek into her magical world. We both saw magic that day. Celebrate the little details you see every day. It’s all so precious.”

“The photo captures an enchanting moment about wanting to learn,” said Judge Rex Dupain. “A child in wonder always catches my attention. This is a beautiful moment.”

The competition categories include: macular disease community, healthcare professional, open, and junior (under 18).

“Macular disease affects Australians of all ages and we now know that early detection can save sight. The competition is a wonderfully creative way to remind people how precious their sight is and why we should do all we can to preserve it,” Ms Buttrose said.

Category winners are:

 Open (General Public) – Rebecca Burton, Melbourne VIC (Grand Finalist)

 Healthcare Professional – Kerry Boytell, Mosman NSW

 Macular Disease Community – Di Lymbury, Girards Hill NSW

 Junior (Under 18) – Caitlin Dixon, Quandialla NSW

To find out more about mEYE World Photographic Competition visit: www.meyephotocomp.com.au.

To find out more about Macular Disease Foundation Australia visit: www.mdfoundation.com.au.