BLACK & WHITE INSPIRATIONAL GALLERY

COMPETITION JUDGED BY MARCIN RYCZEK

Marcin Ryczek is a fine art photographer whose meditative work draws on minimalist and symbolic themes, under a self-proclaimed philosophy of “minimum form, maximum content”. Across an eclectic range of genres – architecture, travel, sport, wildlife – he uses his unique visual language to create poetic work that is both idiosyncratic and universally accessible. His image, A Man Feeding Swans in the Snow, is one of the most iconic of the internet age – widely shared across social and traditional media, and earning him the Grand Prix in the international competition Grand Prix de Découverte: International Fine-Art Photography Award and The Huffington Post’s ‘most striking fine art photograph of the year’.

He has exhibited globally and been published by The Guardian, Der Spiegel, The Daily Telegraph and National Geographic, has work in the public collections of the Bibliotheque Nationale de France and the Silesian Museum in Poland, and has received awards from the IPA, Grand Press Photo and the Siena International Photography Awards.

IMAGES © MARCIN RYCZEK

CITIES INSPIRATIONAL GALLERY

COMPETITION JUDGED BY JESSE MARLOW

Ask any street or urban photographer who inspires them, and they’ll probably mention Jesse Marlow: an Australian street photographer celebrated for his ability to find beautiful moments of surprise and coincidence within the mundane. His practice involves an acute awareness of his urban environment, using his countless hours of practice and “the daily grind that most people find themselves in” as a source of inspiration to craft his distinctive visual style that merges humor, ambiguity, and sharp observational insight.

He has published four photobooks including the widely acclaimed Don’t Just Tell Them, Show Them (2014 and 2022), showcasing his vibrant exploration of urban spaces in his home city of Melbourne, and has earned significant accolades, including the International Street Photographer of the Year Award in 2011 and Bowness Prize from the Monash Gallery of Art in 2012. He also runs workshops and is a member of the international street photographers’ collective UP Photographers.

IMAGES © JESSE MARLOW

HUMANS INSPIRATIONAL GALLERY

COMPETITION JUDGED BY BRONWEN LATIMER

Bronwen Latimer is Editor of Special Initiatives at The Washington Post where she is transforming themed projects into more visually-compelling narratives to gain new audiences. In previous roles at the Post, she has worked to create rich visual narratives about diverse subjects such as the Syrian refugee crisis, the impact of the pandemic on a nation, and food production in the Netherlands.

Previously she held roles at National Geographic, working as book editor on the best-selling “The Ultimate Field Guide to Photography” and as Photography Director for Nat Geo Adventure. She has also held photo editor roles at TIME Magazine, Sports Illustrated and US News & World Report. With a background in both photography and journalism, she brings a wealth of experience in commissioning, editing and championing photography that tells stories.

IMAGES © BRONWEN LATIMER / THE WASHINGTON POST