Fifteen-year-old Scarlett Bailey has won the 2008 Yellow Pages Group Art Award for the Auckland region. The Epsom Girls Grammar student, a first-time entrant, is the youngest ever winner since the awards began in 1990. She wins a prize of $2,000 and her entry, Auckland City, will appear on the front cover of the 2008/09 Auckland White Pages phone book. The national winner was Laura Mackey of Southland, who receives $15,000.

Image: Scarlett's winning image, Auckland City. Fifteen-year-old Scarlett Bailey has won the 2008 Yellow Pages Group Art Award for the Auckland region. The Epsom Girls Grammar student, a first-time entrant, is the youngest ever winner since the awards began in 1990. She wins a prize of $2,000 and her entry, Auckland City, will appear on the front cover of the 2008/09 Auckland White Pages phone book. The national winner was Laura Mackey of Southland, who receives $15,000.

Image: Scarlett's winning image, Auckland City.The competition's 18 winning regional artworks, plus a Peoples' Choice winner, will be auctioned at a black tie event on November 29 at Auckland Museum. All funds raised will be donated to What's Up, a professional telephone counselling service for kids.

Scarlett says her winning photograph was the result of a spur of the moment opportunity, taken during a walk in the city.

"I was walking down Queen Street looking for a subject for my entry for the competition and happened to glimpse a view of the Sky Tower and the Town Hall.

"It wasn't until later that I realised the significance of the two buildings together - the old and the new of Auckland," she says.

Scarlett has only recently taken up photography, studying it at school for the first time this year. As a result of her win she intends to continue her photography studies at Senior College next year, and perhaps consider it as a future career.

A judging panel comprising artist Phillip Trusttum, critic John Daly-Peoples and art auctioneer Hamish Coney reviewed over 500 entries for this year's competition, including 70 from the Auckland region.

The judges selected the best artwork from each of 18 regions, and from the regional winners selected the top three entries nationally. A People's Choice award was also chosen based on public voting via the Yellow Pages Group Art Awards website. The People's Choice winner was Mark Olsen for his entry Waterfront Wednesdays. Mark won the Auckland region in last year's competition, and his entry Celia is on the current Auckland Whites Pages' front cover.

Yellow Pages Group Chief Executive Officer Dudley Enoka said the quality of this year's entries was impressive.

"We're always amazed at the amount of artistic talent that emerges each year. The competition offers artists with an unparalleled means of promoting their work and at the same time helps raise money for What's Up," he said.

National prize winners:

• National winner $15,000 - Laura Mackey of Southland
• National runner up $10,000 - Kyle O'Regan of Wellington
• National third $5,000 - Virginia Jameson of Manawatu
• Peoples' Choice $1,000 - Mark Olsen of Auckland.
• Each regional winner receives a $2,000 prize

  27/11/07