To Master- Sony Student Competition Previous Winners and Finalists
Sony Student Competition
- Student Photographer wins €30,000 of Sony digital equipment for their institution
- One winner, up to ten shortlisted
- Free entry for anyone doing a full-time Photography course
- Institutions must register for their students
- Students must answer a set brief
- Deadline is 30th November 2020
The Sony Student Competition gives rewards and showcases the work of talented photography students. The competition is open to academic institutions worldwide. Each entry has to consist of five to ten images responding to the brief. After that ten students are shortlisted and flown to London to take part in photography masterclasses. The student competition shows the talent and intellect that will soon shape the photography industry.
2021 First Brief: They are challenging us to show a story connected to building a better future. As 2020 has been a challenging year, they want us to focus on the people working towards a better future for all of us.
Benefits of entering competitions:
•Exposure
•Global coverage
•Showcase personal work
•Networks and conversations
Ioanna Sakellaraki- Royal College of Art, UK
Website: https://ioannasakellaraki.com
Sakellaraki is a Greek artist based between Brussels and London. She graduated from Photography, Communications and Cultural Studies. She has many awards such as Society Postgraduate Bursary Award 2018 and Student Photography of the Year by Sony World Photography Awards 2020. On Sakellaraki's website she states that her work is based around the constructed space of fantasy as well as the loss within transformation and fiction, by this she means that her work mostly focuses on her imagination.
'My series Aeiforia enabled me to share a positive story on the theme of sustainability by capturing the landscape as a passage into the night ambiance of the Greek island of Tilos.' - Ioanna Sakellaraki
From this quote she explains why she chose to photograph that specific location on the Greek Islands. She focused on the theme of sustainability and captured it in landscape images which show specific details and issues that have come from trying to improve sustainability.
Sakellaraki's series ' Aeiforia' was a response to the Sony Awards brief 'Sustainability Now'. This series shows climate change and the challenges that come with sustainable development on the islands. The energy supplied to the remote island relies on fossil fuels and to import the energy it involves a high transport cost. on the Greek Island of Tilos they are trying to become reliant of clean energy to improve its future. Sakellaraki's images were taken on the island where it is lit by raw moonlight which highlights the main subjects without losing them in the darkness. When looking through the series, I was drawn to these particular images. The first image includes tree branches tangled with wires. The tree branches are softly lit by the moonlight which emphasises the silhouette. The tree branches spread out throughout most of the image which creates a full composition. The three cables drape across the tree branches almost seperating the composition. I think this image represents the electricity getting tangled with nature, showing the issues within trying to improve sustainability. The second image is of a limestone roof with sustainable objects on top. This image has a minimalistic feel which emphasises the electronic generators. The contrast between the dark sky and the light limestone roof creates a balance within the image. In the background you can see a pylon with wires connected to it as well as the silhouette of a mountain, this shows how the sustainable objects are disrupting the natural environment. The last image shows a pylon with electrical wires, I think this represents the fact that the improvements are getting intertwined with the nature. Overall, I was really drawn to this series as it shows the issues with trying to create a sustainable future. The second series of images was her response to the brief 'Invisible Lines'. She was inspired by Greek Laments. These images represent bereavement and grief. Her intention for the project was to mourn for her father as well as showing how her culture deals with loss. The images show absences through fiction. The silhouettes represent a space opening and a figure disappearing. When looking at the series, I was drawn to two particular images. The first one shows the contrast between the background and the silhouette. The mountains in the background appear misty whereas the silhouette has a strong colour. I like the way the colour changes at the bottom of the silhouette as it is like it is fading away into the background. I was drawn to the second image as I thought it was a very powerful image. I liked the fact that it was in monochrome as it emphasises the pattern on the headscarf. The figure is in the centre of the composition so it looks like it is facing the mountains. Overall, I think these have a very powerful message as they show the process of mourning by showing the silhouettes disappearing into the background creating emptiness. By looking at Sakellaraki's work it has shown me how to create a story with a strong narrative to communicate a cause or issue.
Aeiforia
The Truth is in the Soil
Fangbin Chen, Qilu University of Technology, China
Visible Theatre, Invisible Drama
Chen is a young Chinese photographer from Qilu University of Technology. These images are a response to the brief 'Invisible Lines'. The title of the series is ' Visible Theatre, Invisable Drama', the name could represent that the theatres never change but the scenarios around them do. The worn theatres show the change in economy, culture, art and life. I was drawn to the images as I liked the contrast between the inside an outside of the theatres. From the outside you can see different activities and scenarios surrounding the still buildings. From the inside of the buildings the outside is frames by the silhouettes of the patterned walls, it looks as if the outside is a performance. I was particularly drawn to the first image as you can see a market being held in front of the theatre and you can see the people framed from the inside looking like a drama and performance. Overall, I was drawn to this series as I liked to concept of scenarios changing over time.
Reyad Abedin, Counter Foto, Bangladesh
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reyad_abedin/
The name of my city is dust and smoke and life
Abedin was born and raised in Bangladesh. His works are focused around memories, identity and the relationships between humans, nature, environment and landscapes. He has a passion for photography and storytelling. This series of images is the response to the brief 'Invisible Lines'. The images show the ever-changing reality of the city. He is documenting the transformation of the city and how the infrastructure is slowly taking over. The images also show the change in environment and how it is damaging nature. I was drawn to the images as I liked the concept and the aesthetic. All of the images appear light and misty which is the pollution spreading throughout the city. In some of the images you can see the contrast between the built structures and the natural environment as if the nature is being destroyed by mankind. I was particularly drawn to the image of the cows in the field as you can see the industrial buildings in the background and the cows peacefully walking around the field, this shows that the wildlife's land is being taken over. Overall, I was drawn to Abedin's work because he documents the issues happening in his hometown.
