5 Photos Celebrating Manufacturing

EEF Photography Competition aims to showcase UK manufacturing.

“Stone Slab Cutting” EEF Photography Competition 2017 Winner – Professional Category. (Image courtesy of Adrian Waine/EEF.)

The old chestnut that a picture is worth 1,000 words has taken on new meaning in our increasingly connected modern world. These days, it’s easier to get your point across with a picture than with 1,000 words, or 280 characters for that matter.

“Process Underbody 24” EEF Photography Competition 2017 Winner – Amateur Category. (Image courtesy of Jakub Wasik/EEF.)

So, if you’re looking to change public perceptions of manufacturing by reaching as many people as possible, thought-provoking treatises on Industry 4.0 or The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) may not be your best option. Indeed, your efforts could very well end up with the epithet every writer dreads: TLDR [Too Long, Didn’t Read].

“Merlyn’s Magic” EEF Photography Competition 2017 Winner – Young Category. (Image courtesy of Siobhan Lock/EEF.)

The EEF manufacturers’ organization offers a good example of reframing manufacturing in just this way with its annual photography competition. Intended to “inspire and new image and improved public perception of UK manufacturing and engineering using photography,” the theme of this year’s competition is “Celebrating Everyday Manufacturing”.

“Liberty Steel 2” EEF Photography Competition 2017 Runner-Up – Professional Category. (Image courtesy of Steve Morgan/EEF.)

The competition is open to both amateur and professional photographers, and although the submissions must feature manufacturing in the UK, both British and foreign companies are eligible. The four categories for entry are:

  • Next Generation: apprentices and young people engaged in production or training

  • Future Technology: automation, robotics, digital and sustainable technologies

  • Manufacturing Process: the journey from design and R&D to production

  • Manufacturing Products: finished components manufactured in the UK

“Monitoring the Cast” EEF Photography Competition 2017 Runner-Up – Amateur Category. (Image courtesy of Mark Tomlinson/EEF.)

Winners will share a £5,000 prize fund and have their photos exhibited at the EEF Future Manufacturing Awards 2018 Gala Dinner, EEF National Manufacturing Conference & Dinner 2019 and the UK government’s Great Britain campaign. The competition is open until September 30th.

You can find more information on the EEF Photography Competition 2018 here.

Written by

Ian Wright

Ian is a senior editor at engineering.com, covering additive manufacturing and 3D printing, artificial intelligence, and advanced manufacturing. Ian holds bachelors and masters degrees in philosophy from McMaster University and spent six years pursuing a doctoral degree at York University before withdrawing in good standing.