Photography is a powerful medium that captures emotions, tells stories and puts social matters centre stage. The PROFIFOTO NEW TALENT AWARD powered by Canon recognises precisely this power of photography and promotes young talents from all over the world whose concepts arouse curiosity for more.
A co-operation between Hahnemühle, ProfiFoto, Canon, WhiteWall and the laif Genossenschaft.
The NEW TALENT AWARD is organised twice a year by Canon and ProfiFoto in cooperation with WhiteWall and the laif cooperative. It offers up-and-coming photographers an outstanding platform to present their creative work to a wide audience. The competition honours a broad spectrum of photographic projects – from impressive reportages and intimate insights into formative memories to critical examinations of socially relevant topics. The award is looking for concepts that arouse the viewer’s curiosity and make them want to learn more. Every year, the jury selects the three best-of-the-best works from the two most recent calls for entries for the New Talent Award. These are rewarded with prize money totalling 3,000 euros. In addition, ProfiFoto magazine presents one of the selected projects as a portfolio in each of its ten annual issues.
Five projects were honoured in the current competition 24/2. A total of 1,326 works were submitted by participants from the USA, Europe, China, India, Brazil, Argentina, Iran, Algeria, Nigeria and many other countries around the world.
Winner Olivia de Villaine (Switzerland) explores the theme of motherhood in her work ‘Mater’s Gaze’ and offers an insight into the intimate relationship between a mother and her child.
Jury statement by Petra Gerwers: ‘Olivia’s work touched me from the very first moment! The images are convincing in their sensitivity and depth, showing an aesthetic clarity – which beautifully conveys both the emotions and the essence of the people depicted.’
Sam Jensen (USA) impressed the jury with her project ‘Holding fire between my fingers’. The photographer utilises the materiality of her photographic prints, giving them a physical tangibility in collages.
Carlos Leal is Swiss but lives in the USA. His project ‘We’ve all dreamed of Hollywood’ tells the story of homelessness in Los Angeles.
Jury statement by Judith Müller: ‘Carlos Leal’s work inspires me because its surprising perspective and lighting make the stark contrast between Hollywood’s glamour and the hidden reality of the homeless impressively visible.’
Pavlo Fyshar is Ukrainian and currently lives in Germany. He convinced the jury with his current series of works entitled ‘The prisoners’.
Jury statement by Eveline Eisermann: ‘The project captivates with a powerful pictorial composition that achieves a deeply impressive visual effect with subtle colouring, reduced shadows and a precise play of contrasts between soft and hard forms. The series captivates the viewer with its haunting portrayal of isolation and ambivalence, emphasised by a striking blend of soft tones and lifeless forms, as well as the depiction of faceless figures trapped in their surroundings. Fyshar’s use of mirrors and accessories, which make the feelings of alienation and loneliness visually tangible, stand out in particular. This unique aesthetic, combined with the profound expressiveness of the series, inevitably draws the viewer in.’
In his photo series ‘Eternal Echoes: Light and Shadow of the Wind’, German photographer Albrecht Voss explores the polarised perceptions surrounding wind turbines. With a series of monochrome diptychs, he invites us to explore the enigmatic beauty of wind turbines against a backdrop of contrasting landscapes.
Jury statement by Gunnar Wagner: ‘The series is more than a successful visual narrative – a very exciting and at the same time disturbing aesthetic journey to the new landmarks of the energy transition.’
The jury this time (competition 24/2) included Judith Müller and Eva Bohg (Canon), Eveline Eisermann (Hahnemühle), Peter Bitzer (laif Genossenschaft), Gunnar Wagner (WhiteWall), Christian Popkes (Fotogipfel Oberstdorf) and Petra and Thomas Gerwers (ProfiFoto).
The next call for NEW TALENT AWARD 25/1 will be announced in autumn 2024.
