Sustainability, & Art !

November 1, 2008

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Francis Hodgson, Head of Photographs at Sotheby’s, led the international panel of experts who judged the Prix Pictet and explained that judges were looking for works of outstanding artistic merit that also communicate messages of urgent global significance.

“Today, nearly 1.1 billion people lack access to safe drinking water and 2.5 billion are without basic sanitation. And it is through water, as the images in this collection illustrate, that we are seeing early and devastating manifestations of one of the greatest threats our world faces – climate change. It is my hope that the Prix Pictet, the world’s first prize dedicated to photography and sustainability, will help to deepen understanding of the changes taking place in our world and raise public awareness about the urgency of taking preventative action. Each artist has addressed the environmental and social challenges we face in their own personal way. The result is a series of powerful images which seeks to confront us with the scale of the threat we face and to inspire governments, businesses, – and all of us as individuals – to step up to the challenge and support change for a sustainable world.” Kofi Annan said at an awards dinner at the Palais de Tokyo in Paris recently.

I am delighted to win the Prix Pictet. It is a real honour especially when judged against such a prestigious shortlist. The Prix Pictet validates environmental photography as a subject both from a photo-journalism and an artistic point of view, bringing these different disciplines together in one competition to explore globally significant environmental issues ~ Benoit Aquin

“The jury were impressed by the overall standard in this the Prix Pictet’s first year. The photographers have made it a really tight competition. Entry to the Prix Pictet is by nomination only. Over 200 photographers from 43 countries were nominated” Francis Hodgson added. Ivan Pictet, Managing Partner of Pictet & Cie, speaking at the awards, announced that Munem Wasif, one of the photographers shortlisted for the Prix Pictet, will be awarded the commission to photograph Water Aid’s Chittagong Hill Tracts Project in Bangladesh.

Pictet & Cie have launched the Prix Pictet – The World’s Premier Photographic Award in Sustainability, a prize that rewards photographers whose powerful and stunning images help keep sustainability issues at the forefront of global debate. The Prix Pictet exhibition runs from 29 October – 8 November 2008 at the Palais de Tokyo, Paris. Thereafter, starting at the Dubai International Finance Centre, Dubai, on 9 November, an exhibition of selected works will tour internationally prior to the launch of the 2009 award.

Tour dates will be published on www.prixpictet.com when available.