Photography Prize 2024

1st Prize was awarded to Vladimir Khorev from Russia/Taiwan. The series "Characters" captures the essence of Wanhua District in Taipei, focusing on passers-by near Longshan Temple. By using glass street fencing as an artistic method, Khorev creates semi-surreal images that evoke emotional resonance, emphasising natural light to convey intimate moments of people detached from the city's chaos.

2nd Prize was awarded to Norberto Pezzotta from Italy. His series Augmented Unreality examines beauty in the age of artificial intelligence. He generates images through AI based on specific creative prompts, which are then printed and integrated into his studio space alongside real models. This project reflects on the importance of preserving an inclusive and diverse vision of beauty, emphasising the necessity for new definitions that represent human variety in an era where technology reshapes our aesthetic standards.

3rd Prize was awarded to Mieke Douglas from the UK. Her project focuses on the town of Bajram Curri in northern Albania, where unemployment has led many to leave in search of better opportunities abroad. This series tells the story of those who remain behind—ordinary people struggling with poverty and an uncertain future. Through intimate street portraits, she captures the resilience of those left in the shadows of mass emigration, offering a poignant look at their lives and surroundings.

The People's Choice Award was awarded to Enrico Pietracci from Germany. In his Berlin series “look closer” architectural photography merges with abstract art, a graphic and chromatic play between two- and three-dimensionality. By digitally extending parts of the image, ordinary and banal urban surfaces acquire unexpected dimensions, small, barely perceptible details, traces of life and evidence of human individuality become discreetly visible in an abstract and apparently surreal context.

The MPB Award was awarded to Roman Manfredi from the UK. Utilising analogue photography, moving images, and sound, Manfredi's work investigates the intersections of personal narratives and political landscapes within everyday experiences. Her series, We/Us, celebrates the presence of butches and studs from working-class backgrounds across the UK, using medium-format film to explore intergenerational female masculinity through the lenses of class and race within the British landscape.

The One Shot Award was awarded to Kumi Oguro from Belgium. The piece titled 'Thread' was unanimously decided on by the jury.