Hudson Oliver has taken top honours in the University of Southern Queensland’s (UniSQ) inaugural Creative Competition.
His entry, “Norfolk Star Trails”, showcases the beauty of the night sky through an intricate star trail composition created from 50 images.
A recent graduate of Darling Downs Adventist College in Toowoomba, Queensland, Hudson captured the image while on holiday on Norfolk Island. Having previously researched star trail photography, he decided to give it a try.
“I found the long boat on the shore of the beach and framed the image to include the southern celestial pole in the background, which as a result created the cool circles in the sky,” he explained.
Although photographing star trails required patience and precision, Hudson described the process as rewarding.
“It wasn’t too difficult to capture, although it took some time adjusting the settings to create a perfectly exposed and framed image plus around 30 minutes until the 50 photos were complete,” he said. “Once the images were captured, they were imported into a photo editing software where they were edited then merged to create the beautiful image.”
When the competition results were announced, Hudson was on a service trip in the Solomon Islands with Glenvale Seventh-day Adventist church and Darling Downs Adventist College. Due to limited internet access, he only learned of his win through his parents and teachers.
“When I received the news, I felt pride and joy, as well as a little disbelief,” he shared. “It was like I was in a dream. Having my work recognised has inspired me to keep taking photos to see what other images I can create.”
Hudson has previously placed in several contests, including the Toowoomba Sister Cities Photo Competition, where he secured both first and second place. He received a highly commended award in the Australian Digital Camera Warehouse photography competition. He was also one of the winners of the Sabbath Gift creative competition and the UniSQ Frank Green Video Competition.
The 18-year-old is now pursuing a degree in secondary teaching at Avondale University, majoring in mathematics and design and technologies. He plans to continue photography alongside his studies and is committed to refining his skills.
“I really enjoy everything about photography,” he said. “I love the process of framing the subject, changing the setting to create the most stunning shots possible, and I love the creativity of capturing everyday life from different angles. My favourite subjects to shoot are landscapes and wildlife, as they are usually the most challenging to perfect. The feeling when you capture a stunning image is unbeatable.”
The 2024 Creative Competition, run by the UniSQ School of Humanities and Communication, aimed to showcase the creativity of Year 11 and 12 students across Queensland.
Participants were invited to express their creativity in various formats—whether digital, written, video, illustrated or audio—for a chance to win cash prizes of $1000 for first place and $500 for runner-up.
The competition covered a wide range of categories, including creative writing, photography, advertising, journalism, media studies, English literature and communication.
