Third Prize winning photograph from Meichke Fortuin

The Cape Flats Nature Reserve was in the spotlight as the winners of the University of the Western Cape’s (UWC) Nature Photography Competition were celebrated at a special ceremony hosted by the Library where the top entries were unveiled in an inspiring exhibition.

The event showcased the striking Top 24 photographs by 11 finalists - captured in collaboration with the Zeitz MOCAA Museum. The images highlighted the beauty and ecological significance of UWC’s natural landscapes. A digital exhibition of all the submissions was also on display.

Opening the exhibition, which ends on August 29, Minnelise Levendal from UWC’s Nature Reserve Unit, said the photographs showed off not only the beauty of the nature reserve but also its hidden complexities, its delicate ecosystems, the endangered species and the interconnectedness of life that is so often overlooked.

“This initiative is a collaboration with the Zeitz MOCAA Museum, underscoring the vital connection between nature, conservation, art, and education. This collaboration was sparked by a visit to the Cape Flats Nature Reserve in 2024, organised by the Zeitz MOCAA curatorial department,” said Levendal.
Third Prize winning photograph from Meichke Fortuin

She said through the partnership with the Zeitz MOCAA Museum, UWC’s Nature Reserve aims to build a deeper understanding of conservation while providing students and young artists with a space to explore the intersection of creativity and sustainability.

Nurah Samsodien

“Although this is our first nature photography competition and exhibition, we are excited about many future exhibitions and collaborations between the UWC Nature Reserve Unit, Zeitz MOCAA, and the UWC Library,” said Levendal.

Environmental Education and Research Officer at the Cape Flats Nature Reserve, Laurenda van Breda, said the competition is also a marketing tool for the reserve.

“Photographing biodiversity in the nature reserve, we actually ended up with 99 submissions, but due to the criteria only 70 were accepted,” said Van Breda.

The main rules for entries were that photographs had to be taken inside the reserve, images had to be taken during the day, and photographs had to be unedited with only cropping allowed.

The judges were from the Zeitz MOCAA Museum, alongside Clement Cupido, who is a photographer and researcher from the Agricultural Research Council.

“The photographs were judged based on the technical skill, creativity, and concept,” said Van Breda.

Nakita Clarke

First-Prize winner, Nurah Samsodien, a third-year student studying Environmental and Water Science, said she had always been into art, drawing and painting as a child.

“My (former) lecturer, at the time, emailed my class about the competition because UWC posted about it. I was always into art since I was young, I drew and painted, so I recently got a camera. When they posted about the competition, I thought it was the perfect opportunity to test out my camera,” said Samsodien.

Second-Prize winner, Nakita Clarke, said: “I only found out about it a month before (entries) closed. The Friday before entries closed, I went with my mom and a friend to walk around the nature reserve. We were there for about three hours, took about 250 pictures and ended up submitting seven.”

Third-Prize winner, Meichke Fortuin, was unfortunately not in attendance.