The COVID pandemic features heavily in Nikon's prestigious documentary photography competition
(Image credit: Nikon / Amin Nazari)
The winners of the 2020-21 Nikon Photo Contest have been announced, with Grand Prize awards for photo and short film categories each winning ¥500,000 (approximately $4,565 / £3,348 / AU$6,300). Other prizes on offer included mirrorless Nikon Z-series cameras and lenses.
The recipient of the photo competition Grand Prize was a piece entitled “Radiance”, entered by Amin Nazari, from Iran. Meanwhile, the short film competition Grand Prize winner was a piece entitled “Escaping from Karma”, entered by Rei Kuroda from Japan. The winners were selected from the 65,062 entries submitted by approximately 26,000 people from 150 countries and regions around the world.
In both the photo and short film competitions, there are two categories. The Open Category has the theme of 'Connect' and has no age restrictions, while the Next Generation Category has the theme 'Passion' and is only open to those aged 25 or under (as of 31 December 2020).
The archive video of the online awards ceremony will be released on the Nikon Photo Contest 2020-2021 website at the beginning of October. The winning works will also be showcased at the Nikon Photo Contest 2020-2021 street exhibition, taking place in Tokyo’s Shibuya, New York and London later this year.
Grand Prize photo competition winner
“Radiance” by Amin Nazari (Islamic Republic of Iran)
Due to the corona virus, the senior citizen was admitted to Razi Hospital in Ahvaz, Iran, for treatment to deal with the virus. The coronavirus spread to humans in December 2019, and entered Iran shortly afterwards. In the peak days of the virus in Iran, about 350 people died every day. The virus has caused serious problems for all social interactions, jobs, universities and schools. (Image credit: Nikon / Amin Nazari)
Grand Prize short film competition winner
“Escaping from Karma” by Rei Kuroda (Japan)
The theme of this work is liberation from the various societal constrictions, while also touching upon the subjects of feminism, race, and nationality. The COVID-19 pandemic brought about drastic changes to everyone’s lives. People found themselves unable to count on what they previously took for granted – what they once believed to be unwavering became increasingly uncertain. This film was created based on the notion that perhaps, liberation exists in the transformation of, or escape from, the colossal systems that have been built.
*images are captured from a part of the film(Image credit: Nikon)
Nikon Photo Contest 2020-2021's Lead Judge Neville Brody commented: “What amazed me was the number and quality of the entries that were submitted, despite the pandemic and the personal challenges it brought upon every practitioner, every human being on the planet. Within the entries, we saw a wide range of interpretations of the world. From very different, private points of view, to points of view that revealed ideas which were more universal – there was a lot of reflection of personal narratives.
"We saw some very moving, highly emotional entries this year that stunned the judges – images of personal suffering, and of beauty, of captured lives, of joy, and of magic. It’s been an extremely difficult year for every individual, and to create works that somehow communicate these challenges shows that photography and video are very powerful tools to capture these narratives.”
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The winning works will be showcased in public street exhibitions in Tokyo, New York and London. During the exhibition period, works will be viewable at various locations in each city. The exhibition will start in Shibuya, Tokyo, from 05-18 October, before moving on to New York from 18-31 October. The final exhibition will be held in London from 01-14 November. An online exhibition will also be held on the Nikon Photo Contest 2020-2021 website from 05 October.
Adam has been the editor of N-Photo: The Nikon Magazine for almost 12 years, and as such is one of Digital Camera World's leading experts when it comes to all things Nikon-related.
Whether it’s reviews and hands-on tests of the latest Nikon cameras and lenses, sharing his skills using filters, tripods, lighting, L brackets and other photography equipment, or trading tips and techniques on shooting landscapes, wildlife and almost any genre of photography, Adam is always on hand to provide his insights.
Prior to his tenure on N-Photo, Adam was also a veteran of publications such as PhotoPlus: The Canon Magazine, so his wealth of photographic knowledge isn’t solely limited to the Big N.
