Having had the pleasure of attending the Wellcome Trust Image Awards 2012 on the 20th June at the Trust building on Euston Road, London, I would thoroughly recommend a visit not only to see this year's array of winning images but to see the general collections at the trust such as Superhuman a selection of mixed media artworks exploring the extraordinary ways people have sought to improve, adapt and enhance their body's performance.
The trust, a charitable foundation named after businessman, collector, philanthropist and founder of the trust Sir Henry Wellcome (1853–1936) has funded pioneering medical research since its inception. Wellcome Images is the name for the Trust's image extensive library.
The awards, in the words of the trust itself exist to ‘recognise the creators of the most informative, striking and technically excellent images among recent acquisitions to Wellcome Images.’ I was pleased not only see the winners unveiled but also hear the stories behind the images and learn a little more about their creators, this added to the experience as it was fascinating to hear that one of the winning images had been created in the garage of retired teacher Spike Walker. The Trust and Catherine Draycott‘s team were exemplary hosts creating a very warm environment and an inspirational evening showing some breathtaking imagery. The awards exhibition is on display until the 31st December 2012 and interestingly the judging process from 2011 is explained in a video available on YouTube through the web address below.
You too can contribute to the image library held by the trust as they ask for images to add to the 180,000 they already house, received from clinical photographer's illustrators and research scientists.
Of course I cannot talk of the awards without giving considerable congratulations to the overall winner Robert Ludlow, a clinical photographer from University College London Institute of Neurology who won the coveted prize with his outstandingly detailed photograph of the brain of an epileptic patient prior to treatment.
A winner's gallery can be viewed again on the wellcome image awards website.
http://www.wellcomeimageawards.org
Editor