New Westminster, BC – The winners of the Downtown New Westminster Hot Shots! photo contest were announced at the July 14th Regular Meeting of Council. The contest was held from April 1 to May 1, 2008 as an innovative way of attracting community participation in the city’s Downtown Community Plan development process. Participants were asked to capture their favourite spots in Downtown New Westminster for a chance to win prizes and have their photos published. Entries were judged by the community, who voted for their favourite pictures online.

The Hot Shots! contest included four categories for photo submission:

• Our Heritage, Our Home category asked photographers to share the special buildings and places that make them proud of our local history. Daniel Fortin’s photograph of the historic Westminster Building on Columbia Street took first place while Melinda Wells received an honourable mention for her photo, titled “Silent Door”, of the Emmanuel Pentecostal Church on Carnarvon Street.
• The City Clicks category encouraged photographers to capture the city vibe that makes New Westminster’s Downtown come to life. Tanya Kaselj won in this category with her photo of the pond surrounding Laguna Court in the Quayside area. Minna Simko received an honorable mention for this category for her photo highlighting the architectural form of the Law Court steps off Carnarvon Street.
• Green Scene photographers captured the best views, gardens, parks and greenways in the Downtown. Category winner Trevor Hallam photographed the spring tulips along the Waterfront Esplanade while honourable mention went to Ken Danielson for his photo of a convoy of movie production trucks by the Fraser River Discovery Centre.
• The Picture Perfect People shone the spotlight on the people who live, work and play Downtown. Category winner Neal Michael’s picture, “Shifty Eyes”, was taken in front of the Mercantile Building on Carnarvon Street - a relic of the International Modern architectural style.

The City of New Westminster’s Downtown Community Plan will guide future growth and development in the Downtown area. City planning staff will hold another round of public participation events from September 10th to 13th which will include a second open house and a design charrette facilitated by architects. All interested are invited to attend.

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Contact:

Blair Fryer, Communications Manager
604-527-4688