Stenin Photo Contest's Grand Prix Goes To Italian Photographer

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 10th September, 2019) Italian photographer, Gabriele Cecconi, won the Grand Prix of this year's Andrei Stenin International Photo Contest.

"The main intrigue of the Fifth Andrei Stenin International Press Photo Contest was revealed today at a gala ceremony at the State Historical Museum. The competition's top award, the Grand Prix, went to Italian photographer Gabriele Cecconi for the photo series, 'The Wretched and the Earth,'" the press release read.

The main characters of the series are the Rohingya refugees, who were forced to flee to Bangladesh from Myanmar.

"It's a real privilege having the opportunity to compete with other talented photographers in the memories of a young colleague died doing his work. Memories is identity and this award helps conserve the identity of Andrei Stenin and somehow continue his work through the eyes of the participating photographers. I'm glad to be among the finalist of the contest and I hope somehow this will help also to spread the message of the story, that as witnesses and interpreters of the world, it's our responsibility to communicate," Cecconi was quoted as saying in the press release.

The organizers noted that the topic of refugees and forced migrants was pervasive in the 2019 contest.

As for the other categories, the photo "Escaping Conflict to Another" by Sameer Doumy (France) and the photo chronicle "Caravana Migrante, Tijuana" by Kitra Cahana (the United States) won the first place in the Top news category.

The photo "Disconnection" by Justin Sullivan (South Africa) and series "My Yakutia" by Alexei Vasilyev (Russia) won the first place in the category My Planet.

The first place in the sports category was claimed by Ayanava Sil (India) with the photo "Decisive Heading" and Alexei Filippov (Russia) with series "Lonely Olympics."

In the Portrait. A Hero of Our Time category a photo by Francis Rousseau (France), "The Women of Arugam Bay" and series by Mushfiqul Alam (Bangladesh),"Tale of the Tormented," won the first place.

This year's contest included one new category dubbed Inspiration. The first place was claimed by Italian photographer, Andrea Alai, who presented the photo "Mesmerized" depicting a 9-year-old girl, who suffers from Crouzon syndrome.

All photos will be exhibited in the State Historical Museum in Moscow from September 11-29.

The contest is named after Rossiya Segodnya photojournalist Andrei Stenin, who was killed while covering the conflict in the east of Ukraine in 2014.

The main goal of the contest, organized under the aegis of the Commission of Russia for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, is to support young photographers and draw public attention to the challenges of modern photojournalism.