/ 2025 / Special / Special Effects

• Prize
  Honorable Mention
• Photographer
  Catherine Lee-Smith, United Kingdom

The Liverpool "Royal Iris" ferry, once a fixture on the Mersey, is now in a state of disrepair in Woolwich, London after being decommissioned and later damaged by fire. I was attending a sculpture course that looked directly out over the dark Thames and took a number of photos of this boat’s sad demise and decay. It was a dull, grey day and the ferry was in a sad, abandoned state. So I added another photo of bright, light, clear water with the reflections of living trees. A fitting tribute to a hard-working vessel that once hosted early Beatles performances and carried Queen Elizabeth II.