Finding "a place to be" turned into a top placing in a national photography competition for Shanna Verhoef (12), of Dunedin.
The Tahuna Intermediate pupil won first prize in the primary/intermediate category in an online photography competition organised by Habitat for Humanity New Zealand.
The competition's theme, "A Place to Be", was also the global subject for Habitat Awareness week last month.
It aimed to emphasise the importance of feeling safe, secure and comfortable.
Shanna took a photo of herself lying in the Dunedin Botanic Garden.
"I feel safe, comfortable and happy as I gaze at the sky, listening to the flowers swaying and the warm wind tickling the leaves of the ancient trees," Shanna said about the photo.
The quality of the images submitted was high, she said, and she was pleased to have been awarded first place.
She won a camera and printer package worth $549.
Her school received a similar package worth $1170.
"The choice to use black and white has enhanced the dream-like state of the image. Shanna gives us hope for adventure; lets us know that we can have a safe place no matter where we are," judge Serena Stevenson said of the winning entry.
