Image above © DDiArte, 'Wake Up' (fragment); see full image in Winners' Page
The 10th Pollux Awards
This anniversary edition has had entries from 57 countries. 357 photographers have submitted 4225 images that were juried by Julio Hirsch-Hardy, director of the Gala Awards and the Biennial of Fine Art and Documentary Photography who replaced Frank Meo in this task for this opportunity.
The First Prize has been given to two artists. Both will be earn the same award, round trip to the 5th Biennial in 2018, $1,000 for lodging each, and printing and framing of the work to be exhibited at the Biennial.
We’re proud to announce that Alain Schroeder from Belgium, and DDiArte, artistic name of the artists Diamantino Jesus and Zé Diogo from Portugal, are the winners of the 10th Edition of The Pollux Awards.
Alain Schroeder won the Editorial and Documentary and the Open Theme Categories with his series Kushti, Rohungyas, and Living for Death, and also won the Sport Category with Kushti.
The Series Kushti is a visual reportage of a traditional form of Indian wrestling that is practiced in Akhara, where the wrestlers, under the supervision of a guru, dedicate their bodies and minds to Kushti on average for 6 to 36 months.
Rohingyas is a photographic essay about the question on ‘Who will Save the Rohingyas’, a Muslim minority oppressed by the dicatotirial government of Myanmar, and stripped off all rights including citizenship. The Rohingyas population are stateless refugees living in IDP camps at the mercy of intolerant Budhists.
The third portfolio of Alain Schroeder is another visual reportage done in Toraja, Indonesia, a region where the rituals associated with death are complex, require extensive planning and are expensive. Therefore, when a person dies, it can take weeks, months even years for the family to organize the funeral. During this time, the deceased is considered to be “sick” and kept at home. Relatives continue to interact with them offering gifts of cigarettes and betel leaves, drinking coffee, having meals by their side and conversing with them. While, it remains a sad time, the transition from life to death is a slow and peaceful process strengthening family bonds. Depending on the family, the body may be kept uncovered, bundled in layers of cloth or in a coffin.
Alain Schroeder is a Belgian photojournalist born in 1955. In 1989 he founded Reporters a well-known photo agency in Belgium. He has illustrated over thirty books dedicated to China, Persia, the Renaissance, Ancient Rome, the Gardens of Europe, Thailand, Tuscany, Crete, Vietnam, Budapest, Venice, the Abbeys of Europe, Natural Sites of Europe, etc. Belgian books include: « Le Carnaval de Binche vu par 30 photographs », and « Les Marches de l’Entre-Sambre-et-Meuse, Processions de Foi ». Publications include National Geographic, Geo, Paris-Match. He is represented in Paris by the photo agency HEMIS. More of his work can be seen in the website http://reporters.be/photographers/show/21.
DdiArte won the Alternative Processes Category and the Nude and Figure Category. Both categories were won with two Fine Art series, that can be entirely seen in http://www.ddiarte.photography/border_galleries/fine-art/.
Zé Diogo and Diamantino Jesus, both born in Madeita Island, Portugal in 1966 and 1966, respectively. set up DDiArte in 1999. At that time it was a painting workshop where they brought together the best of both of them for the purposes of creation, painting on canvas. In 2003, after several experiences in the field or digital photography, they discovered the ideal means to express our creativity. Within the context of historiography of art, the use of photography, and more specifically, retouching up photographs, is nothing new. They do however aim to innovate somewhat, in terms of the themes on which our work is based. Regardless of the fact that their main source of inspiration is mythology, up-to-date themes or others that are the simple fruit of their creativity, still remain full of details, of symbols, of images, an attempt to captivate, but mainly, as an attempt to stimulate critical thought in viewers.
We congratulate Alain Schroeder and DdiArte, architects of two different visions that are vivid and different examples that the art of photography is and it always will be surprising showing us the beauty, miseries, struggles and dreams of our troubled planet.
Browse the galleries of the 10th Pollux Award clicking in the following links:
In each category gallery we feature the winner, the honorable mentions, and in some cases finalists that were short listed by the juror when doing the selection.
Please note that in all galleries, thumbnails are cropped to the aspect ratio. You have to click in each galley to see the slide show with full size images.
Architecture & Bridges Category
Editorial & Documentary Category
Still Life & Abstractions Category