By Kate Harrold
THE WINNERS of the Paris Photography Prize 2020 have been announced.
In one image titled ‘The Holes in Water,’ photographer Jacob Degee captured a 3000-stone whale shark inhaling fish eggs near Isla de Mujeres, Mexico.
In another titled ‘Segmentation,’ photographer Chungyu Yang featured the isolating and complex architecture of a residential building in Taipei, Taiwan.
The Paris Photography Prize (PX3) was established in 2007. The competition aims to support and nurture emerging photographic artists from all over the world – introducing them to Paris’ resident creative community.
The contest is considered to be one of the most prestigious photography awards in the world and this years’ edition received over 5000 entries from over 90 different counties.
“This year has been a challenging one, but I have a deep respect for these artists and how they have been able to channel their creativity,” Mr Hossein Farmani, founder of the contest, said.
“These works of art show us the true strength of humanity: we push on, even when faced with unimaginable challenges. I congratulate all of the contestants and winners for showing us their visions.”
Italian photographer, Alberto Giuliani, was awarded the coveted prize of ‘photographer of the year.’ Captured during the initial peak of the COVID-19 crisis in Italy, the ‘San Salvatore’ series featured Italian medical personnel following long 12-hour shifts.
“In the deep imprints left by their protective masks, I found a symbol of their sacrifice,” Alberto said.
“Above all, I found evidence of the pain, fear and helplessness of standing before an unknown enemy.”
Cyrus Cornut was awarded a silver prize in the press, travel, and tourism category for his image ’15.04.2019, Notre-Dame de Paris,’ taken shortly after Notre-Dame infamously caught fire. The image featured shocked crowds watching on as smoke billowed above the city.
A gold prize was awarded to Naoya Yoshida for her image ‘Dance.’ Entered into the nature category, the image captured the alight fireflies of Japan’s mountainous regions.
“The flash of the fireflies is very fast and beautiful. It’s something I look forward to every year,” Naoya said.
In the press and war category, Hsu Ming Ching was awarded a bronze prize for his image ‘Challenge the Limit.’ The photo featured trainees of China’s Marine Corps Amphibious Reconnaissance and Patrol Unit during ‘hell week’ training.
Other standout entries include Chin Leong Teo’s ‘Blue Insularis 7’ which was awarded a silver prize in the nature category and Frederic Couzinier’s ‘Chaos sur les Plaines du Kansas’ which was awarded a gold prize in the same category.
Chin Leong Teo’s image featured two endangered venomous pit vipers in Indonesia – one of which was eating a frog. Frederic Couzinier’s image captured the moment a supercell storm pierced a tornado.
