Congratulations to Elizabeth Hilpman, winner of the Norfolk Photo Contest!  Her evocative photo of Tobey Pond was selected from over 220 submissions by judges—and distinguished local photographers—Savage Frieze, Katherine Griswold, Christopher Keyes, Christopher Little and Babs Perkins.

The images were evaluated on how well they represented the theme of “My Norfolk” and the quality of the photograph. 

Hilpman’s work, said Griswold, “captured Tobey Pond perfectly. I loved that I felt like I could almost walk into the photo…just sit down on the beach and hang out with my friends. That’s exactly what everyone does at Tobey Pond.” Frieze’s praise was short and sweet: “I’m just thrilled with it. I wish I’d taken it!” 

Little commended the quality of all the submissions and said that “the panel of judges had a lot of fun choosing the finalists.” These included official runners-up (in order of selection): Sean Iceton, Bill Ticineto, Tom Daly, Dan Girolamo and Daniel Wuori.

Noting the wide field of talent, Frieze said that “this contest proved to me what I had surmised many years ago: that Norfolk is rife with amazing artists and photographers.”

Perkins said she especially appreciated that although the judges came in with “different styles and techniques and how we approach photography, we were all in solid agreement across the board with those that we chose.” 

Viewing photo after photo on a large screen, the judges found that the unifying “My Norfolk” theme resulted in images that reflected, Perkins realized, “a town that really was a ‘Norfolk for all.’”

“There were myriad exceptional images,” said Little. “No one who was not a winner should feel slighted.” Griswold was in full agreement, saying, “We live in a unique place, and it’s apparent from all the photos that these photographers love where they live.” 

The photo contest was sponsored by National Iron Bank. All the submissions will be available for viewing on the town website soon.