Winners Of The New Cosmos Of Photography 2016 Competition Announced

The Canon New Cosmos of Photography 2016 competition has announced its winners, all of which will be on display at the New Cosmos of Photography Tokyo Exhibition (29 October - 20 November 2016) where the Grand Prize winner will be selected.

The Excellence Award Selection Committee, composed of both professional photographers and international art curators, selected seven Excellence Award winners and 14 Honourable Mention Award winners from a pool of 1,723 entrants.

This year, the work of German photographer Benjamin Breitkopf was presented with an Honourable Mention Award. His entry is a visual essay looking at the political, historical and cultural situation surrounding the 2014 revolution in Ukraine. He documents not only the unique features of the country's landscapes, cityscapes and people but also its cultural roots and practices, rituals, religious beliefs and traditions, popular songs and conflicting viewpoints.  These combine to offer an in-depth look at Ukraine’s cultural identity during a time of rapid change for the nation. The judges were captivated with Breitkopf’s presentation approach, which utilises a three-channel video installation that reflects the many layers and voices featured in his project.

The Grand prize winner will receive JPY 1 million and the right to hold a solo exhibition at the New Cosmos of Photography 2017. The other Excellence Award and Honourable Mention Award winners will also receive prize money and the right to showcase their best works at this year’s exhibition.

"We are delighted to see an increasing number of international photographers entering the New Cosmos of Photography competition," commented Junko Kimura, General Manager of Corporate Social Responsibility, Canon Inc. "Every day, we are exposed to hundreds of images, and in this competition, we are pushing the boundaries of photography. It’s amazing to see the creative ways and unexpected points of view participants use to convey their ideas through imagery."

The following are the New Cosmos of Photography 2016’s winners:

Excellence Award winners:

• Sonoko Sakurai (selected by Anna Dannemann)
• Kim Sajik (selected by Osamu James Nakagawa)
• Yuu Matsui (selected by Erin O’Toole)
• Kuta Takashima (selected by Hiraki Sawa)
• Takuya Matsuura (selected by Tomoko Sawada)
• Natsumi Kawai (selected by Toshio Shibata)
• Kim Hyunseok (selected by Minoru Shimizu)

Honorable Mention Award winners:

• Benjamin Breitkopf, Sayako Kazui (selected by Anna Dannemann)
• Hideaki Maki, Hiroshi Miyamoto (selected by Osamu James Nakagawa)
• Takayuki Narita, Mone Kobayashi (selected by Erin O’Toole)
• Kohei Fujisawa, Snack Sono (selected by Hiraki Sawa)
• Toshihiro Anzai, Yu Nozaki (selected by Tomoko Sawada)
• Kenta Okamoto, Sakiko Kanno (selected by Toshio Shibata)
• Hiroyuki Otsuka, Kazuomi Itou (selected by Minoru Shimizu)

For additional information about this year’s New Cosmos of Photography competition, please visit the New Cosmos of Photography website.