Murdoch staff member wins at "the Oscars of Photography"

Photography lecturer Vikki Wilson has won a prestigious international photography prize - a Lucie Award - and her artwork is one of only 45 featured in the "Best of Show" exhibition touring internationally.

The Lucie Awards, one of the world’s top photographic events are commonly referred to as "the Oscars of photography".

Winners of the top Lucie award have previously included famous photographers like Annie Leibowitz and Henri Cartier-Bresson.

Mr Chris Smyth, Dean of Media Communication and Culture, said Ms Wilson's success in the awards was a magnificent outcome.

"Every year thousands of photographers submit work in around a hundred subject categories to compete for the awards," Mr Smyth said.

"This year over 22,000 photographers submitted multiple images."

Ms Wilson came first in the Fine Arts - Animal Subject category for her image "Eternal" which is a portrait of a stuffed pet dog from the WA Museum. 

The image forms part of a series on old-school natural history she is shooting.

Ms Wilson is one of only two Australian photographers selected to be part of the "Best of Show" exhibition which started at Spashlight Gallery in Soho, New York in October.

The "Best of Show" exhibition will tour eight different cities during 2009.

"Ms Wilson was involved in developing and setting up the Photography and Digital Imaging unit which has become so popular with students that it’s gone from being offered one semester a year, to two," Mr Smyth said.

"The photography unit has developed into an area of strength and will be introduced as a minor as part of a media or multimedia degree in 2010."

This year Murdoch became one of only 60 universities worldwide invited to participate in the Student Sony World Photography Awards in 2009.

Finalists and their teachers are flown to Cannes so that students can participate in a “race around the world” style photography challenge.