‘see me', Scotland's national campaign to end stigma and discrimination around mental ill-health, is encouraging people to go online to vote for the winner of the Public Choice category in national photography competition ‘A Positive Frame of Mind'.
A record number of budding photographers from across Scotland entered this year's competition, sending in captioned photos that illustrate their interpretation of the theme: ‘Be there. Be Yourself'. 61 regional winners from across Scotland are now on show in a special online gallery on www.seemescotland.org.uk/photography and the people of Scotland have until 16 December to decide who will walk off with the Public Choice award.
Next month a panel of judges including ‘see me' ambassador Graeme Obree, aka the Flying Scotsman, will meet to judge the winners of the under 18s and the Judge's Choice categories. The three winners will each scoop £250 of John Lewis vouchers and will get to spend a day with professional photographer Tony Marsh.
Suzie Vestri, ‘see me' Campaign Director, says: "People are now able to be much more open about their mental health problems, but stigma still exists. Competitions like ‘A Positive Frame of Mind' raise awareness of the importance of mental well-being and help to combat discrimination.
"The response to this year's competition has been fantastic and ‘see me' would like to congratulate all the local winners who are now part of this national final. We're delighted to be able to share the photos with the public and give them the chance to tell us which one is their favourite."