Syngenta Photography Award 2015 winners announced
Basel, Switzerland, March 10, 2015
- US photographer Mustafah Abdulaziz wins Professional Commission
- German photographer Benedikt Partenheimer wins Open Competition
- Winners exhibition at Somerset House to run from March 11 to April 10
The winners of the Syngenta Photography Award 2015 were announced today at a ceremony in London. Entrants were invited to make submissions around the theme of "Scarcity-Waste" – one of the greatest challenges we face today in a world of increasingly limited resources.
Now in its second edition, the Syngenta Photography Award is an international competition which aims to stimulate dialogue and raise awareness around significant global challenges through photography. More than 2,000 professional and amateur photographers from all over the world submitted applications in response to the Scarcity-Waste theme.
American photographer Mustafah Abdulaziz was the winner of the Professional Commission category for his "Water" series – a photographic exploration of a natural resource in crisis. In addition to the $15,000 cash prize, Abdulaziz will receive a $25,000 grant to complete a new commission on the depletion and misuse of water in his home state of California.
German photographer Benedikt Partenheimer received $5,000 for his winning image "Shijiazhuang, AQI 360" in the Open Competition. It is a panoramic shot of the barely visible skyline of Shijiazhuang, China. Taken from the series "Particulate Matter", the acronym AQI stands for "Air Quality Index" and indicates the extent of air pollution – in this case 360, which is deemed hazardous.
Photography writer, curator and chairman of the international judging panel, William A. Ewing, said: "The candidates this year were of particularly high quality. All of the projects showed deep concern for the environment. It was quite moving to see how many photographers are fighting courageously to show us facets of an increasingly battered world that most of us would rather ignore. We felt that Mustafah Abdulaziz's series was classic documentary photography that was very respectful of the people he was photographing. We felt that empathy came through in his photos."
Mike Mack, CEO of Syngenta, said: "In addition to celebrating incredible art, the Syngenta Photography Award aims to help the public become more engaged in a debate about the issues that challenge our planet. I was, therefore, greatly impressed by the extent to which the artists were able to capture through photography the essence of the Scarcity-Waste theme, which is clearly among the most vexing problems the world faces today."
Photographs by the six finalists will be included in The Syngenta Photography Award "Scarcity-Waste" exhibition at Somerset House from March 11 to April 10, 2015. In addition, works by 40 international photographers will be showcased.
Later this year, the "Scarcity–Waste" exhibition will travel to São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Belo Horizonte in Brazil, as well as to Milan in Italy during EXPO MILANO 2015.
For more information on the Syngenta Photography Award, please visit: www.syngentaphoto.com.
Syngenta is one of the world's leading companies with more than 28,000 employees in over 90 countries dedicated to our purpose: Bringing plant potential to life. Through world-class science, global reach and commitment to our customers we help to increase crop productivity, protect the environment and improve health and quality of life. For more information about us please go to www.syngenta.com.
