fp Turks and Caicos

After much deliberation, the Sandals Foundation has crowned the winners of its “Pictures in Paradise” amateur photography competition.

The competition was launched in January in local schools and communities to celebrate the country’s natural beauty and encourage sustainability. The public was invited to submit pictures of the Turks and Caicos Islands environment for a chance to win great prizes.

Chrystel Loyer has been crowned the winner of the general award for her photograph of Fort George Cay.

Marcel Joseph, a 19-year-old from New Age Academy, triumphed in the “High School” category for the photograph he called “Sunset Glory.”

Twelve-year-old Keneisha Williams from Hubert James Primary beat the competition to win top prize in the Primary School categoryfor her photograph of Mudjin Harbor on Middle Caicos.

All three walked away with a raft of fantastic prizes.

The judges of hundreds of entries were Beaches General Manager Don Dagenais, Director of Culture David Bowen, TCI Song Bird Barbara Johnson and Times of the Islands Manager Claire Parrish.

“We had so many entries of such a high standard that deciding on the winners was an incredibly difficult task,” Parrish said.

“The winning picture in the General Category represents our powder white sand and crazy blues — so rich they don’t seem real sometimes,” she said. “With the drift wood adding an extra dimension this is a vivid island picture.”

The competition was launched across the Caribbean in Jamaica, Bahamas, St. Lucia, Antigua and the TCI, attracting hundreds of entries.

“With everyone leading such hectic lifestyles and moving away from our culturally simplistic way of life, it’s easy to take for granted things like a beautiful sunset, a tranquil ocean or an awesome beach landscape,” Bowen said.

“Seeing and photographing images, such as these, helps me to stop, enjoy and appreciate the world I live in. It also reminds us that we need to play our part in protecting it so we can continue to enjoy it for generations to come.”

The winning imagery will be used in a 2011 calendar which will be sold to guests in Sandals and Beaches Resorts shops in all five countries. Proceeds will go to the Sandals Foundation to be used within the communities.