The theme of 2023’s competition was Evidence to Suggest a Life, which students from across the faculty portrayed in diverse, surprising ways. The judges, including prize sponsor Simon Devitt, praised Anna Finch’s winning photograph, saying “Portrait of Phyril is a striking image that responds to the competition’s theme with a notable restraint. Their face falls below the frame of the image and the viewer is left to consider where, and who they might be.”

It’s a tonally rich work. While it leaves much to the viewer, it beautifully captures an environment and Phyril’s physical presence.

— Simon Devitt Photographer and prize sponsor

In response to the choice of medium, Anna explained “There is something wonderfully crunchy about film photography. Its grain and grit provide another index. Analogue photography requires us to operate at a different pace, a slow reveal through rituals. Time proved to be the evidence that suggests a life.”

I sought to capture traces of a railwayman, an infamous paisley robe, and the firm handshake that greeted the boyfriends of six daughters. Of a tangible, physical Life that exists in tales and memory: my Phyril. Captured after tea and Griffin’s Lemon Treats biscuits and an eyebrow trim, before a cold lunch spread, and between eleven other frames of a giggling 92- and 88-year-old.

— Anna Finch, Bachelor of Fine Arts

The Simon Devitt Prize for Photography is an annual competition that is now in its 16th year, open to students studying Architecture, Design, Fine Arts, Urban Design or Urban Planning at Waipapa Taumata Rau University of Auckland. Creative Arts and Industries thanks Simon Devitt for the ongoing support he provides.