Award-winning photographs by students at a Walsall school are to go on show at a local gallery after a competition supported by the Midcounties Co-operative.

The photographic competition at Queen Mary's Grammar School attracted 100 entries, with the top 12 printed on canvas and displayed at an awards evening. Prizes were presented to the best three, with the top prize of a digital camera won by Joe Wright, aged13, for his black and white study of a horse and rider on a beach.

Funds from the entry fee and the evening totalled £200 and will be donated to Walsall Hospice. The photographs of the 12 finalists can be seen at the Chameleon Gallery, Sandwell Street at a later date.

Walsall-based Ben McPhee, The Midcounties Co-operative Society's Photographer, organised the competition as part of its volunteer programme, which encourages colleagues to get involved in community based projects. Midcounties also gave £500 in grants from its Co-operative Community Funding programme.

Ben said: “The photography competition was open to pupils aged 11 to 18 who could enter in one of three categories – diversity, perspective and light. The response was amazing and the standard was very high.

“It was the first time I have done something like this and I would like to thank all those involved who made it such a success.”

Ben, an old boy of the school, had judged last year's competition and agreed to help to make this year's a bigger project which would also raise money for Walsall Hospice. Midcounties' charity partner of the year is Help the Hospices.

Janet Martin, Head of Religious Studies at Queen Mary's, said: “Our students really enjoyed this opportunity to show their creativity and they should be proud of the work they produced.”

Sixth Former Dan Chorley, aged 16, won the second prize of a digital photo frame for his image of a desert in Morocco, which was taken on a school trip. The third prize of a camera bag went to James Nowell, aged 17, for his image of a building in Canary Wharf.

The competition was also sponsored by Die Spark LTD, Ben McPhee Photography, Prontaprint Walsall, Blueleaf Digital, Oak Tree Trust and Chameleon Gallery.

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