Named for the year that photography was first made widely available to the public, the 1839 Awards holds a series of photo contests to highlight the medium. Photographers from 55 different countries entered the Color Photography Contest, which is open to both professional and non-professional photographers. The results, which were just announced, are extraordinary.
In the end, two different conceptual series won the overall prize. For the professionals, Alexandrena Parker was named the overall winner for her images of unsupervised children playing outside, a rare sight these days. Astrid Reischwitz‘s fascinating look at her heritage, which combines photography and embroidery, won her the top prize in the non-professional competition.
There are many hidden gems among the category winners. From a playful plate of pasta to a striking look at the war in Ukraine, the competition highlights the impact that color photography can have on our view of the world.
The winner’s announcement, however, was not without controversy. In an effort to keep up with technology and its impact on the medium, the contest has a category to award the best AI imagery. What the contest organizers didn’t expect, however, was for a photographer to not only enter a regular photo into that category but to win the People’s Vote Award. Though the photographer was subsequently disqualified when he revealed that the image was not AI, the news brought a lot of eyes to the contest.
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