A sepia-toned black and white image of St Mary's Church at Upokongaro has won the region's architectural photographic competition this year.
The image, titled Refuge from Reality, was taken by Whanganui's Sandra Van Der Lubbe. She won $500.
The judges of the competition, which is run by the Western Branch of the New Zealand Institute of Architects, said hers was a beautiful image, nicely presented with a stressed/aged border.
The church is famous for its three-sided steeple, and the little gateway shelter helped to make the photograph, judges Mark Brimblecombe and Fran Loader said.
They were so impressed with this year's 60 entries that they gave two highly commended awards as well.
Taranaki's Elliott Hudson was present in his own photograph of a hut made on a Taranaki beach. The judges liked the hut's sign, and the dreamy look of the boy gazing out to sea.
The other highly commended entrant was Whanganui's Marco Meijer, with his photograph looking up at the roof of an old grain silo. They said it was engaging and thought provoking, with a gorgeous colour palette.
"It's sheltering and divine, both for the body and soul," they commented.
The awards were presented at the 2017 Western Architecture Awards, in Palmerston North on May 19.