Series Winners and finalists Documentary photography-My Back Yard 3

	First place - Gold Medlock,Rick My back yard is Coventry city centre. Coventry city centre is approached by foot through a system of subways and footbridges. These are not pleasant places to be. Subways or underground can hold all sorts of fears, mugging, rape or terrorist attack, so people refuse to use them and will go over ground by car or bus. Coventry city centre can be a very violent place especially at night so these areas need to be approached with great caution. Are these structures a reflection on the people that use them or the council’s reluctance to invest in repair?
	Second place - Silver Dougier,Estelle These photographs were taken in the attic of my grandmother’s house in the French countryside. Underneath the dust and the spider’s webs different objects are resting: books, toys, furniture, boxes… This attic is a backyard of my childhood, a memory album.
	Third place - Bronze Kaarthikeyan,Gopika I was walking in my backyard one afternoon to notice an array of colours in fallen dried leaves that composed my path. I was inspired when I saw one leaf that was still, half-touched by flowing water. The poetic moment expressed itself in this collection of photographs called “Silent renewal”. O soul, cleave not to the clinging past, redolent with memories of flower and spring. Let go as the waters embrace you whole, intact the memory of your path ahead, offer yourself up to the flow of Time, trusting That which survives death and decay, ceaselessly preparing this silent renewal. - Gopika (Part of the poem “Silent renewal” that I wrote for this collection)
	Commended De Los Santos,Justice Harlem, New York has been my backyard for the past five years. The genesis of Jazz music in New York City is still home to some of the greatest legends of all time. On a Friday night you can find personalized jam sessions from the great saxophonist Bill Saxton. You are teleported to the old jazz haunt of greats like Billy Holiday and Frank Ness in Bill’s turn of the century brownstone in Harlem. This is the series “Jazz in Harlem” featuring Bill Saxton on saxophone and some of his notes waiting to be ‘pushed’ in the next jam session.
	Commended gabric,slaven This is from my yard ,back and forth.
	Commended Cornet,Hermann Escaping from the heat of the day, men work at night in the Souq al-Milh (Salt Market). The Old city of Sanaa is undoubtedly one of the most ancient towns on the Arabian Peninsula. In these historical backyards, Yemeni crafts and traditions have been passed down from generation to generation.
	Finalist Underwood,Julia A first romantic gesture to the girl next door by a young boy between two back yards in Kathmandu, Nepal. She's not ready for him yet.
	Finalist Almalki,Faisal Architexture
	Finalist Hern ndez Mena,Fabian Talamanca is the largest indigenous reservation in Costa Rica. The Bribris of Talamanca mix traditions, creating a culture with a world vision rich in syncretism. Within this evolution there are constants, perhaps the most central being the role of the shaman or awa, spiritual leader of the the Bribris. This figure is as ancient as the culture itself. The awa studies 12 years to perform cures and spiritual purifications (soplos) for those who seek his help. He must himself live a life of physical and spiritual discipline if the soplos he performs are to be effective. Photographs taken during the month of September 2007 in the Kachabri community, Talamanca Indigenous Reserve, Costa Rica.