27 July 2018

The 2018 VCE Season of Excellence VCAA Board Appreciation Award winners were announced on Wednesday 27 June, with St Kevin's College, Toorak, graduate Thomas Emerson winning for his entry in Top Arts.

Thomas used digital photography to explore his theme of challenging perceptions of reality The Acrobatic series is an experimental photo series that explores concepts of connection, physics and surrealism. He was influenced by the surrealist works of René Magritte and Hungarian photographer Sarolta Bán.

Seeing his work exhibited at the NGV was a surreal moment itself for Thomas.

'I was very surprised. I didn't think I was going to make the first round. I ended up making it into Top Arts and from there … it was a massive surprise,' he said.

Thomas, along with fellow winner Holly Robertson from Ballarat High School, received a certificate and $1000 to put towards their continued education and exploration of their chosen fields. Thomas plans to buy a camera with the prize money.

The VCE Season of Excellence is a five-month annual arts festival showcasing outstanding work by senior secondary students from Victorian schools. The season presents works created by VCE students in design, technology, multimedia and the cinematic, visual and performing arts through exhibitions, screenings and performances. It is supported by talks, forums and panel discussions, catalogues, programs and online material.