Bayonne High School art student Anthony Quedding received a third place Photography Portfolio Award in the Photo Imaging Education Association's 2009 International Student-Teacher Photo Competition and Exhibition.

Quedding's digital images are all self-portraits, which he produced and printed in the BHS Digital Imaging Labs under the direction of Mrs. Charlann Meluso, Computer Graphics Instructor.

Quedding is the first BHS art student to receive a Portfolio Award, which requires an exceptional portfolio of six to eight themed photographs.

In the past seven years, BHS art students have won 19 awards in the PIEA competition, including three Grand Prize Awards. Both Mrs. Meluso and Mr. Hart have also received awards in the Faculty and Staff category.

Quedding's photos were among 115 images chosen as award winners, out of 6,080 total images from 1,334 entrants, who represented 114 schools and 10 countries. Students and teachers collectively won over $160,000 in prizes donated by 68 sponsors from 4 countries, making it the best-endowed international student photo competition in the world.

All of the winning images will be shown in two international traveling exhibitions to Australia, South Africa, Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom until 2011. The Digital Imaging Lab at Bayonne High School has been one of the hosts of this exhibit annually since 2006.