The best of the best: photokina presents the best pictures from famous photographic competitions

Press Release No. 21 / Cologne, September 2014

photokina – world of imaging 2014

At each photokina they are inspiration and motivation in equal measure: the photo exhibitions with the best pictures from famous photographic competitions. Once again this year the world’s leading trade fair for imaging will be presenting the best photos from numerous tenders for (budding) pros and amateur photographers. You will find below an overview of the photographic exhibitions at photokina 2014.

Canon professional photographic promotion prize
The Canon professional photographic promotion prize is targeted at up and coming professionals. For the past eight years it has offered young photographers the opportunity of support in turning their “mental images” into reality. The Canon professional photographic promotion prize promotes the realisation, development or completion of photographic projects such as degree dissertations or term work. The prize was first hatched at “photokina” 2006 with submissions being invited twice a year by Canon CPS and ProfiFoto magazine in collaboration with picture agency Laif and the online art market Whitewall. This year alone, well in excess of 200 participants have applied for the funding, worth a total of 20,000 Euro, with photographic projects. The 20 winning projects of the four most recent competition tenders of 2013 and 2014 are to be seen in Cologne. Location: passage 4/5

UNICEF-Photo of the Year
Each year UNICEF Germany and GEO Magazine bestow the “UNICEF Photo of the Year Award” on photos and photo series that best depict the personality and living conditions of children worldwide in an outstanding manner. Under the title “Children. The Presence of the Future”, visitors to photokina 2014 have an opportunity to see the best images and reportage from the international competition “UNICEF Photo of the Year” 2012 and 2013. 25 photographers from 16 countries contributed to the exhibition with excellent photo series and photographs. Location: passage 3/4

Best of CGI Award Gallery
Computer Generated Imaging, CGI for short, is where reality and virtual worlds merge. Trade fair visitors can see the outstanding images that are created by this merger at the “Best of CGI Awards”. photokina uses the competition forum to address creative designers and aspiring young talents to find the best CGI renderings in the industry. The top 15 nominated renderings in the two categories “Young Talents” and “Professionals” can be admired in the “Best of CGI Award Gallery”. The exhibition provides an overview of the many and varied facets of new image worlds. Location: Hall 5.1, Stand B 029

Hamdan International Photography Award
The Hamdan International Photography Awards (HIPA) aims to foster awareness of and interest in photography both nationally and internationally. The competition was instigated in 2011 by his Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and with its prize money of more than 300,000 US dollars is among the most generously endowed photographic competitions in the world. This year’s theme was called “Life in Colour”. Location: Hall 6, A-008

Blende 2014
Most of the interest in the German newspaper photography competition is generated at photokina. The annual event, which is jointly organised by several daily newspapers and Prophoto GmbH, is Europe’s largest photography competition. For almost 40 years, “Blende” demonstrates with its pictures the pure passion and devotion force of the participating amateur photographers. Also in 2014 its recordings strongly enrich photokina and all of them deserve with no ifs and buts the respectful predicate “bestaunenswert” (marvellous). Good, indeed lovely photographs of two years of “Blende” await photokina visitors on the Central Boulevard of the Cologne exhibition complex. Location: Central Boulevard

That good photography has nothing to do with the photographer’s age is also demonstrated by photokina competitions aimed specifically at young and adolescent photographers. The winning photos of the German Youth Photography Award or the German Youth Photographic Championship bear impressive testimony to this.
 
German Youth Photography Award 2014
The winning photographs of this year’s German Youth Photography Award in Hall 9 boast moving photo series, enthralling portraits and imaginative experiments. The award is among Germany’s most richly traditional youth competitions and is organised by the German Centre for Youth and Children’s Films on behalf of the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth. More than 5,000 talented young photographers submitted upward of 21,000 pictures this year. The submissions spectrum ranges from the perfect single shot to the unusually designed photo album, from the large format photogram to the digital collage. The youngsters use their images to document their own everyday lives while also portraying the reality of life in other countries. Prizes worth a combined value of 15,000 Euro await the 50 winners aged between eight and 25. The prizes will be awarded on 21 September at the trade fair. The competition is organised by the Centre for Youth and Children’s Films in Germany (KFJ) on behalf of the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth. Location: Hall 9
Stand A-041

German Youth Photo Championship and FIAP Youth Biennial
Photos by young photographers will be on view at the exhibition staged by the German Photographic Association, which will be presenting to the trade fair public at photokina the best images from its very first Youth Open Photo Championship as well as the most beautiful photos from the International Youth Biennial of the Fédération Internationale de l’Art Photographique (FIAP). Location: Hall 6.1, Stand C-020/D-029

Best of fotocommunity
In its exhibition “Best of fotocommunity”, fotocommunity.com, the largest community for photography in Europe, will be showing the most impressive photographs by its members in the genres “World of Colour”, “People” and “Photo Art”. In concert with photokina, the winning images will initially be decided by a major photographic competition. The exhibition gives an insight into the complex creative work of the fotommunity.com photographers’ community. Location: Hall 9 Stand B-036

Nature is also the focus of other photographic competitions the results of which can be seen at photokina 2014.
 
GDT European Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2013
Treating nature with sensitivity and care, and image authenticity, are of paramount importance in the internationally highly regarded competition “GDT European Nature Photographer of the Year”. The fascinating winning photos from 2013 will be exhibited at photokina. Get an idea of the outstanding quality and specific style of European wildlife photography. Location: Hall 6, A-030

Nature photography highlights 2014
The International Nature Photography Award “Glanzlichter” (highlights) is one of the biggest and most famous German nature photography competitions and has been conducted since 1999. It is sponsored by the Federal Ministry of Environment and is under the patronage of the DVF. The 87 exhibited award-winning photos document the high standard of nature photography and are at the same time an appeal to us all to commit ourselves to nature conservation and protection. Location: passage 4/5

»heartbeat of nature« 2014
photokina-world of imaging and Erlebniswelt Fotografie Zingst, organiser of the environmental photographic festival “horizonte zingst”, have joined forces to stage the online photographic competition “heartbeat of nature”. They were looking for best nature photographs of the year, inspired by the theme “biodiversity”. The outcome is photographic images documenting biodiversity in a visually striking way. The exhibition presents the 100 best images. Location: passage 2/4

Koelnmesse GmbH
For 90 years, Koelnmesse has been bringing people and markets together. The success story of Cologne trade fairs began in 1924 with the opening of the first event on the exhibition grounds in Cologne-Deutz. During the “economic miracle” of the post-World War II era, the “Rheinische Messe” became a global trading center. Today Koelnmesse has the world’s fifth-largest exhibition complex and organizes approximately 75 trade fairs in Cologne and all over the world. In the jubilee year 2014, the Koelnmesse is attracting the attention of the public eye with numerous campaigns, publications and exhibitions.