Published Friday 5 March 2021 at 15:49
The World Photography Organisation has revealed the shortlisted photographers in the Professional competition for the Sony World Photography Awards 2021. Photographs of Blackburn have been shortlisted the Portrait Projects category, and the winner will be revealed in April.
Photographer Craig Easton has worked with local writer and academic Abdul Aziz Hafiz, examining the representation and misrepresentation of communities in northern England, specifically looking at Bank Top. They spent a year in the area photographing and getting to know the communities. The work was then shown in Blackburn Museum and Art gallery in September 2020, until the gallery was closed in the latest lockdown. It was part of the Kick Down the Barriers exhibition, which readdressed the balance of how Blackburn communities were viewed. More about the project and work shown is available here Kick Down the Barriers
A specially commissioned programme featuring the winners and hosted by art historian Jacky Klein and entertainer Nish Kumar will be available to stream via the World Photography Organisation digital platforms on the 15th of April. The Awards’ Professional competition rewards a remarkable body of work for technical excellence and a fresh perspective on contemporary subjects. The winner of Photographer of the Year 2021 will be selected from the group of Professional finalists.
Blackburn with Darwen’s Executive Member for Wellbeing, Cllr Damian Talbot said: “It’s exciting to see the borough celebrated on the global stage like this. We wish Craig all the best with both the competition and the documentary photography, and hope we will be able to exhibit his work again in the coming year.”
Over 330,000 images from 220 territories were submitted across the 2021 Awards’ four competitions and more than 145,000 were entered into the Professional competition’s 10 categories – the highest number of entries to date. A Portfolio category has been introduced this year, presenting photographers with the opportunity to submit individual images from various bodies of work but in which their style and technical skills are consistent throughout.
The work of finalist and shortlisted photographers in the Professional competition was judged by: Natasha Egan, Executive Director, Museum of Contemporary Photography, Chicago; Sunyoung Kim, Curator, Museum of Photography Seoul, South Korea; Azu Nwagbogu, Founder and Director, African Artists’ Foundation and LagosPhoto Festival; Lindsay Taylor, Curator, University of Salford Art Collection; Hannah Watson, Director, Trolley Books; and Mike Trow, Independent Curator and Photo Editor, Chair of the Jury.
Commenting about this year’s finalists, Mike Trow says: ‘The integrity, intentionality and considered edits presented in this year’s projects stirred up debate and genuine appreciation among the jury. Photographers rose up to the challenges of 2020 using the time to delve deeper into personal projects and explore the stories unfolding in their local communities. Their efforts have truly paid off with shortlisted and finalists’ works presenting a noticeable step up in quality, which made the competition feel special this year.’
For more information about winners and shortlists please visit www.worldphoto.org