Over 50 winning photographers and their families attended the #LoveFalmouth preview evening at The Poly last week.

The exhibition showcases over 30 stunning images from the #LoveFalmouth photography competition, and is open to the public until Saturday, December 10, in the Main Gallery of The Poly in Falmouth - entry is free.

Marine artist Jamie Medlin donated a framed print in support of the competition and exhibition. His painting First Ferry, an early morning Falmouth scene, was presented to Falmouth resident Simon Culliford for his evocative image entitled Parade of Sail.

Simon's image, taken one misty day during the Falmouth Classics event in June, captures Falmouth’s spirit of the sea beautifully and was chosen by the judges as the overall #LoveFalmouth winner.

The Falmouth BID co-ordinated a six-month long photography competition which ran from May to October, leading to an enthusiastic and passionate response from nearly 1,000 residents, visitors and students. The competition was run exclusively across social media platforms.

People were invited to upload images via Facebook, Twitter and Instagram using the #LoveFalmouth hashtag and within monthly themes such as #LoveCommunity and #Lovethesea, leading to the difficult decision by the judging panel of narrowing these down to the winning shots. Accompanying the entries were some touching, humorous and engaging quotes, demonstrating the connection and strength of feeling people have with Falmouth. The exhibition displays the winners’ photographs along with their stories.

Richard Wilcox, Falmouth BID manager, said: “What a great preview evening in The Poly. Thanks goes to our partners Seasalt Cornwall, 20/20 Projects and the Falmouth Packet who supported the campaign. We’ve been delighted with the response to the competition which clearly demonstrates the strength of positive feeling towards our special town and the images on display are sure to impress those who attend the exhibition.

"We are also very lucky to have talented local artist Jamie Medlin on board to award our overall #LoveFalmouth winner, Simon Culliford with one of his superb paintings.”