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Tokyo International Foto Awards
Announces Winners of 2020 Competition
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Selection of 2020 TIFA Winners (from top to bottom and left to right): Fresh Meat by Sh Sadler, Where is Adam? by Cheraine Collette, Requiem Pour Pianos by Romain Thiery, A Sheep by Claudia Guido, Butterflies in the Stomach by Carlos Gamez de Fransisco, Fishermen of the Mangroves by Les Sharp, Garbage in the Cloud by Piotr Zwarycz.
Los Angeles, February 3rd, 2020 – The Tokyo International Foto Awards is delighted to announce the category winners and finalists in its 2020 Photography Competition for the professional and non professional/student categories.
A stellar international jury of renowned photography experts judged a the entries
from more than 100 countries around the world to finally select these outstanding category winners.
Sebastian Copeland was chosen Photographer of the Year for his truly humbling photography book, Antarctica – The Walking Giant, showing us the least explored continent and the danger it faces due to climate change. The book was made under a collaboration with Leonardo DiCaprio to spread awareness of the crisis of global warming.
Antractica – The Walking Giant by Sebastian Copeland
The Discovery of the Year award was given to Diana Cheren Nygren for her work When The Trees Are Gone. Her work explores the concept of city folk searching for a moment of peace in the urban jungle, where nature has been taken over by by human-made buildings.
In order to support and honour the outstanding work of both professional and amateur photographers around the world during the COVID-19 crisis, International Photo Awards will match the cash prizes that are awarded this year to the Category Winners with an equal cash donation to the charity of the winning photographer’s choice in their community.
When The Trees Are Gone by Diana Cheren Nygren
Tokyo International Foto Awards
Professional Category Winners of 2020
ADVERTISING – Fresh Meat by Sh Sadler
ARCHITECTURE – Requiem Pour Pianos by Romain Thiery
BOOK – Antarctica – The Walking Giant by Sebastian Copeland
EDITORIAL – Women Protesting Over Abortion Ban in Poland by Bartosz Mateńko
EVENTS – Beneath the Surface of Competitive Seadiving by Kohei Ueno
FINE ART – Fishermen of the Mangroves by Les Sharp
NATURE – A Sheep by Claudia Guido
PEOPLE – A Painful Necessity by Gabriele Micalizzi
PORTFOLIO – Butterflies in the Stomach by Carlos Gamez de Fransisco
SCIENCE – Viveria by Ela Kurowska
Women Protesting Over Abortion Ban in Poland by Bartosz Mateńko
Tokyo International Foto Awards
Student/ Non-Professional Category Winners of 2020
New Faces and … In The Class, Automotive Class by Marcin Majkowski
ADVERTISING – New Faces and … In The Class, Automotive Class by Marcin Majkowski
ARCHITECTURE – Snake’S Zaha by Roberto Corinaldesi
BOOK – The Consolation of Dew by Joel Pulliam
EDITORIAL – Hong Kong Conflict by Wei Fu
EVENTS – Timoncap 2019 by Sergio Ferreira Ruiz
FINE ART – Urban Tetris by Mariyan Atanasov
NATURE – Ribbon Dance by Richard Li
PEOPLE – Promised Land by Michal Konrad
PORTFOLIO – When the Trees are Gone by Diana Cheren Nygren
SCIENCE – Pathology Atlas by Oltea Sampetrean
While colours tickle our senses in a more intensive way, monochrome images have a certain powerful presence to them. Last year, we received a large number of black and white photos at the Tokyo International Foto Awards - we chose our ten favourite works.
Balenciaga Summer 2019 Campaign by Robert Yager - Gold in Advertising/Fashion, 1st Place winner in Advertising
Inspired by Yager's black and white gang series from the 1990's, Balenciaga asked the photographer to shoot their fashions in the same gritty way, with models in Upstate New York, for their Summer 2019 worldwide campaign. It was November and a snow storm occurred. Balenciaga agreed to have snow in the background at this time of Climate Change.
M.I.T by Louis-Philippe Provost - Silver in Architecture/Buildings
This photograph captures the stark facade of the The Ray and Maria Stata Center otherwise called Building 32, an academic complex designed by Pritzker Prize winner Frank Gehry for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Silent Kingdom, A World Beneath The Waves. by Christian Vizl - Gold in Book/Nature, 1st Place winner in Book
This truly stunning book was compiled by award-winning photographer Christian Vizl, who uses a masterful control of light and shadow to portray the creatures of the sea as they are rarely seen below the waves. Capturing a range of undersea scenes and moods—from the ferocity of sharks to the playful dance of dolphins—Vizl turns aquatic creatures and marine seascapes into visions of sublime grace and beauty suspended in time and space.
Ewa by Patrizia Burra - Bronze in Advertising/Fashion
This experimental shot was fuelled by the photographer's vision to not only capture a reproduced image of the world, but to create art with a factor of restlessness and commemorate it.
Mud People Festival by Jophel Botero Ybiosa - Gold in Events/Other, 2nd Place winner in Events
The huge crowd in this image shows the Mud People Festival in Nueva Ecija, Philippines. Devotees wear dried banana leaves and cover themselves with mud while offering prayer or paying homage to Saint John the Baptist. According to a local legend, the Japanese soldiers were about to execute the villagers of Aliaga during World War II. But in the midst of downpour, Japanese soldiers suddenly changed their minds. Afterwards, to celebrate, the villagers celebrated by rolling around in the mud.
Different Kinkahuji Temple by Hsiaohsin Chen - Bronze in Architecture/Buildings
Built in 1397, the Kinkahuji temple is a very important cultural symbol of Kyoto, Japan. It is not only a world cultural heritage but is also represented in the literary work of the Golden Pavilion by Yukio Mishima, the literary giant of Japan. It is an important attraction for visitors at the same time.
The Damned of The Earth by Julien De Wilde - Gold in People/Portrait, 1st Place winner in People
This powerful photo series introduces us to the workers who spend their days in the rice fields. Under a burning sun and feet in the mud, for hours, with their faces and bodies covered, it almost seems like they have no identity. It begs the questions: who are they? How old? According to the photographer, it is important to be thankful to them for their sacrifice so that other may have rice on their plate.
Pacifica by Susanna Patras - Gold in Fine Art/Landscape
The artist's goal was to explore the ideas of solitude, time, natural beauty and grandeur in these images, through nature. The rocky structures around the US Pacific coast, called monoliths, stretch from the US border with Mexico into Canada. Generated by volcanic activity, the monoliths are oftentimes surrounded by fog, in a mysterious, dramatic and otherworldly atmosphere.
Taekwondo North Korea Style by Alain Schroeder - Gold in Editorial/sports
Capturing such perfect coordination is truly an accomplishment: Korea’s national martial art Taekwondo ("way of kick and fist") is taught in every school as a part of the daily sports and health routine. After 50 years of existence, the art of kicks has 60 million practitioners in more than 120 countries and Taekwondo became a medal sport at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games.
Fine art can be anything we want it to be - from dreamlike landscapes to mysterious still life and surrealistic portraits, it shows us the inside workings of the photographer's imagination. No wonder it is a beloved category at the Tokyo International Foto Awards! Let us guide you through the maze of the 2019 TIFA photographers' creativity.
Who Stole My Head by Hardijanto Budiman - Second Place in Fine Art
This striking series of photographs represent an experiment for the artist: how to demonstrate a girl who has been frustrated and feels like she lost her head.
Rainbow Wedding Dress by Chiyen Chien - Bronze in Fine Art / Special Effects
An ambitious project: the wedding dress is handmade from 1800 napkins. For the veil, the photographer used smoke to create a dreamy feeling.
Poem For Autumn by Sungdong Choi - Bronze in Fine Art / Landscape
A landscape of oriental ink painting style on a foggy, calm morning, shot by the photographer in South Korea.
Waiting For The Tide to Turn by Gary Sheridan - Bronze in Fine Art / Other
The ongoing photo series explores a large scale of emotions. The images allude to a spectrum of thoughts and feelings from apathy and subservience to enlightenment and rebellion. The series envisages the realization that individualism is the weakness and only as a collective can they begin to turn the tide.
Shadows by Samuel Feron - Silver in Fine Art / Landscape
In this misty and ominous series of outstanding shots, the photographer shows us his personal feelings of the Yellow Mountain in China.
The Light Within by Tom Jacobi - Gold in Fine Art/Nudes
Tom Jacobi's works are an homage to nature and planet Earth and the evolvement of the human soul. Ass we can see, vivid colours are mostly excluded from his work, but he finds countless nuances within the spectra of grey, white and bronze to form a cosmos, which he himself describes as an "achromatic colour world".
Accelerated Intimacy. by Sarah Choo Jing - Silver in Fine Art / Moving Images
Accelerated Intimacy considers questions about sight, memory and staging in relation to time. A parallel to her previous methods of compositing and reconstructing documented images; Choo re-presents fragments through time, reconstructing a potential narrative surrounding each character. There is no resolution offered to these stories, they are kept to be ongoing.
In Harmony-Sparkle- by Keiichiro Muramatsu - Silver in Fine Art / Other
For the artist, arranging flowers is a relationship with nature and an act of creating harmony. The aim is to project a person’s appearance and trace onto the flowers.
A Seat At The Table by Justin Dingwall - Silver in Fine Art/Portrait
These images' protagonist, who has vitiligo Moostapha Saidi, and the photographer aim to start conversations about preconceived ideas and perceptions based on appearance and how what we see affects what we think. As in previous bodies of work, the artist hopes to highlight beauty in difference.
Heartbreak by Felix Hernandez Rodriguez - Silver in Fine Art/Special Effects
In this touching shot, the photographer depicts the heartbreak he feels for what he is leaving behind for his son. Nature is beautiful, it's amazing, and we all are part of it... But with our actions we are destroying it. The diorama was built (rocks, mountains, trees, grass, etc.) using scale model figures.
The deadline of the Tokyo International Foto Awards has been extended to October 31st, 2020 - submit your works now!
The Tokyo International Foto Awards has always been proud to receive the trust of up and coming photographers, who have the courage to share the way they see the world. The following compilation of photos hold a special place in our hearts.
Strawberry and Peach Dessert by Leka Huie - Gold in Advertising / Food
The Hong Kong native photographer finished Photography school in Canada, ever since then, beautiful images have been the main protagonists in his works. This photo was a result of studio work combining strawberry and peach, captured with One Flash Light and honeycomb grid.
Pray by Lawrence Cheung - Silver in Architecture / Interiors
This photo was taken in a mesmerising temple. The photographer decided to study the way the light and shapes move, resulting in this almost supernatural picture.
The Truths by Peng Zhou - Gold in Fine Art / Abstract
The series symbolizes the existing dilemma in all our lives: is the Truth what we hear from others? People receive many stories from the outside, from daily hassles to the most important events. The answers to the stories hold diversified opinions, and there is much to be said on both sides. However, have we thought about whether these differing opinions can reflect upon universal truths? Who can offer us a firm answer? Do we actually even need an answer?
Deena Lean by Joshua Tate - Silver in Editorial/Fashion
This photo represents a brief moment captured during a music video of the photographer's good friend.
Fly Around by Satoshi Kawashima - Gold in Nature/Landscapes
This truly magical photo was taken in Nagano, Japan. The small green light flashes were firefly flying in front of the waterfall, making the scene look like
Microcosmic Portraits of The Little Earthlings by Irina Petrova - Bronze in Science / Other
This series of macro portraits of insects was taken with two retro manual focus lenses, which were made in 1982, connected by a filter ring adapter. Each image was obtained by focus stacking a tens or hundreds of shots. The purpose of this project is to show usual insects from unusual angles. That is why all insects were collected within the territory of the South Urals, where it would seem there are no exotic, bright species such as, for example, in Southeast Asia or Africa.
Scarlet Crusade by Aitor Del Arco - Gold in People / Self-Portrait
Scarlet Crusade speaks of blind faith. According to the photographer, having faith in something most of the time means something positive although it also ties us to a series of beliefs that can lead us to deplorable acts. Throughout history there have been many leaders who have got people to have blind faith in them and this has triggered wars and genocides. In the series you can see Catholic religious connotations, this is because it has been the cause of numerous bloodshed both globally, in wars, and personal beliefs / dogmas / doctrines that sometimes makes us carry out unusual situations.
Flow #2 by Lawrence Cheung - Gold in Architecture / Interiors
Lawrence Cheung's inspiration was Swiss artist Paul Klee, who said, “Art does not reproduce what we see; rather, it makes us see.” This photo depicts a staircase as the subject. The photographer studied lines and curves and found movements within frames.
Plant Mischief by Makiko Kitagawa - Gold in Fine Art / Nudes
The focus of this highly creative photographer's work is always the deep human consciousness and nature, and imagination. Her photography always uses natural light. The model's name is Mituski.
Wonder Room: Homo Artificialis by Cara Louwman - Gold in Science / Medicine
For the past thousands of years, our technologies have been aimed outward. Now, however, we have started a process of aiming our technologies inward. With new trends, technology is nesting itself within us. The way in which the new technologies are shown in this photo series is based on an anatomy cabinet, what the photographer calls a wonder room. The anatomical cabinet of Frederik Ruysch (1638-1731) is a great source of inspiration for her.
Get inspired by the beauties of nature around us! See the top 10 nature photos from the Tokayo International Foto Awards here.
The human condition is always changing - good times and hard, we all have our battles to fight. The People category in Tokyo International Foto Awards was created to show unadulterated photographs of real people - here is the 10 best from 2019.
The Damned of the Earth by Julien De Wilde
The photo series which won First Place in the Tokyo International Foto Awards in the People category depicts the people who work in the rice fields under the burning sun and feet in the mud, for hours. Their faces and bodies are completely covered. One might think they have no identity. Who are they? How old are they, what is their story? Impossible to know who is under the hood.
Unknown Garden by Saene Esmee Heidenrijk
A Garden full of diverse mixed cultures where more and more fall outside of traditional understandings. Do we let them bloom naturally? All girls are mixed raced children (also of mixed race parents), growing up within different cultural backgrounds. These kids feel happy to grow up within the best of different worlds. History shows that this wasn't always the case. Why did the outside world create an environment were some kids seems to battle Racial Imposter Syndrome?
Newlyweds in Venice by Tomasz Budzynski
Magic in the first rays of sunlight: the photograph taken early in the morning on San Marco Square in Venice, during a wedding session.
Dedicating The Most Faithful Souls to Gods. by Yu Han Wei
The festival-like ritual Hakata Gion Yamakasa has been held over 770 years in Hakata, Japan. It is believed the origin of this ritual is to prevent the spread of diseases in summer. Generations after generations carry on this tradition proudly. It has become a grand festival and participants show great passion on the streets every year. Every July 15th, at 4:59 a.m., the Taiko is banged and the elaborately decorated floats(Yamakasa)start to race. The one-ton floats are symbols of the blessing from gods.
Lithium Pink by Grace June
This is a self portrait that explores what it means to be in mental health recovery as well as the experience of being a mental health patient. Stigma from others or stigma one gives themselves is often connected to whether or not one takes medication.
Headstrong: The Women of Rural Uganda by Dan Nelken
The objective of the photographer is to combine the power of photography & give voice to the women in rural Uganda on issues that impact them & their families. These are the women who will face the new challenges to traditional customs posed by rapid population growth & unemployment over the coming decades.
Infinite Dream by Pino Coduti
Italian-born photographer Pino Coduti is a multi-awarded professional photographer specializing in wedding and portrait photography. This photo was meant to capture the wedding day, a divine light in the room, the veil of the bride: an infinite dream.
One Man-Many Style by Matej Dereck Hard
A series of staged double self-portraits. The creator born is Prague poses as six couples - fans of certain genres of music. On all portraits he acts both characters - man and women. Genres: Punk, Hip-Hop, Indie Rock, Free Techno, Reggae, Metal.
Family Portrait by Tetsuo Kurita
Taj Mahal, it is the most famous historic site in India. It is a memorial photo with all the family in front of the Taj Mahal. The family did not go to the Taj Mahal, but in the end, they will have one photo made there.
Baby in a Bag by Jonas Borg
This is a portrait of the photographer's son. He was only two days old when he was put in the camera bag next to the window to take the picture.
Nature is the ever-changing constant in our lives that amazes at every corner. Last year's nature photography entries to the Tokyo Foto Awards left us in awe at just how beautiful the things that surround us are. We have compiled our favourite ones!
Suk Eun Kim - Story of Tree Family
Suk Eun Kim is a Korean photographer drawing from his past experiences. His series depicts the tree family story of the sea. Modern people are too busy to meet family members. But we don't forget your family like those trees that always look at each other.
Craig Bill - Moonquest
Going on a nighttime hike in Antelope Canyon, Arizona, USA, you might be able to find the same magical scene!
Tomáš Neuwirth - Cemetery
Tomáš Neuwirth is a freelance international award-winning photographer that specializes in drone photography. His silver award winning photographs shows us a small cemetery outside of a village named Rejvíz in Jeseníky Mountains, Czech Republic.
Reiko Takahashi - Playing with the Waves
Taken at Vava'u in Tonga, this photo shows us a humpback whale at about 4 months old. A curious calf approached the photographer, flew and tapped his hand on the sea surface.
Rémi Masson - The Garden of Eden
As diver and photographer, Rémi Masson's first intention was to photograph the leaves of the water lilies. But once he was under the surface he was surprised to discover that, for a mysterious reason, several lily pads had opened under the water, forming incredible submerged gardens.
Sarah Alsharhan - Wild Acrobats
A leopard leaps to his safety as a tiger approaches his territory. The coexistence of these two wild cat species is inspiring to watch at Nagarahole National Park in India.
Shirley Wung - Rolling in Clouds
This mysterious photo shows us what happens when technology is used in a different way: a slow shutter was used to shoot the flow of clouds at night, to symbolise walking in the clouds.
Serge Melesan - Bullshark Dance
The moment when nature photography becomes an extreme sport... A group of 20 bullsharks were swimming around the photographers head.
Stas Bartnikas - Eye of the Earth
One of our favourite photos from the 2019 Tokyo Internatonal Foto Awards, this aerial capture shows a small glacial lake surrounded by ice was taken from a float plane in Denali National Park, Alaska.
Kwanghoon Oh - Underwater Tomb of King Munmu and Tomb Keeper
A popular spot to check out the sunrise, 200m away form the shore of East sea, this tomb, is King Munmu's - the 30th king of Silla(661-181). This is the first submerged burial place in the world.
In order to support and honour the outstanding work of both professional and amateur photographers around the world during the COVID-19 crisis, TIFA will match ALL cash prizes that are awarded this year with an equal cash donation to the charity of the winning photographer’s choice in their community.
(Monday, January 7, 2019)
The Tokyo International Foto Awards is excited to announce the winners of its 2018 Photography competition in both professional and amateur divisions. The 3rd Edition of the TIFA competition received over 5000 entries from 88 countries around the world, showing some truly stunning works of photography from across the globe.
TIFA’s international jury of renowned photography experts judged all the great entries to finally select the winners in each category, from which were chosen these outstanding winners of TIFA’s top 2 prizes—Photographer of the Year for the Professional categories, and New Talent of the Year for the Non-professional / Student categories.
Hossein Farmani, Founder and President of TIFA and its parent company Farmani Group commented: “It is a testament to the power of photography, that the whole world can be brought together through a single image. It is so powerful and moving, and this year’s selection of entries to the Tokyo International Foto Awards has taken us on a truly thrilling journey. We are so proud to be part of bringing this incredible photographic artistry to the world, and particularly the creative community in Japan. I look forward to celebrating with the winners in Tokyo!”
JURY FOCUS:
Kenro Izu was born in Osaka, Japan, studied at Nippon University College of Art, and subsequently moved to New York City where, after further studies in Fine Art Photography and working as an assistant to professional photographers, he established Kenro Izu Studio in 1975, to specialize in still life photography, both commercial and fine art. In 2000 Izu started developing his trademark technique of printing Cyanotype over Platinum to achieve infinite deep blue-black images which express the inner sanctuary of within the human body and other objects. Izu has traveled to over 30 countries in the past 40 years and continues his series of portraits in Bhutan and still-life work in studio. Other current projects include “Requiem” in Pompeï, “The Sacred Land” in Fuzhou and “Noh Masks” in Japan. Read more about Izu’s life and photographic career.
For a full list of TIFA’s international Jury, click here!
2018 TIFA WINNERS:
After evaluating so many truly remarkable images, the Jury selected Joachim Bergauer as the 2018 “Photographer of the Year”, for his illustrated book, “Life in a Leprosy Village”. The grand prize in the professional division earned Bergauer a $3,000 Cash Prize and the TIFA trophy.
“Does leprosy still exist in the 21st century? Yes, this village called M’balling. It is 84 km away from Dakar, the capital of Senegal. Here, healthy and sick people are trying to defy a cruel fate. The sick make up a third of the population. My book is a journey through M’Balling Since 2009, showing the life, the village, the inner and outer beauty, but also the dark side. It is a journey into a country where people’s will to survive despite their devastating living conditions is so great that they still smile.”
Evelyn Bencicova took the top spot in the amateur/student categories, and was named 2018 “New Talent of the Year” for her searching series of self-portraits, “Alice”. Bencicova also received the TIFA trophy and a $2,000 Cash Prize.
“Alice is a self-portrait done through another character. It reflects the certain moment of my life through the state of mind experienced in a mental-health center. Diary notes from the time still remind me of questioning ones own existence, of doubt and mistrust towards the space and institution that draws a very thin line between cure and torture.”
The category winners have also been announced and can be found on the winner’s page of the TIFA website HERE. The first place winners in each category receive a cash prize and all winners are awarded the TIFA winning seal and a winner certificate.
Representing Japan in the Winners List are:
Takashi Nakazawa—1st Place, Nature, Professional
Comyu Matsuoka—1st Place, Nature, Non-Professional
Masahiro Masuda—2nd Place, Editorial, Non-Professional
Hitomi Hasegawa—2nd Place, Book, Non-Professional
The grand-prize winners and all 1st and 2nd place category winners will be exhibited from February 20th-24th, 2019 at the Shibuya Art Center in Tokyo from 10 am to 6 pm.
Opening evening will take place on 20th February from 6 pm to 9 pm.
Address: 23-21 Sakuragaoka-cho, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-0031
Due to the current situation in Japan with the Covid-19 Coronavirus, we have decided to postpone the TIFA exhibitions in Tokyo (March/April) until further notice.
We are genuinely sorry and disappointed not to be able to exhibit the outstanding work of our 2019 winners as planned; we have not taken this decision lightly. We are hoping to reschedule for some time in late summer or autumn.
We look forward to presenting the images of TIFA 2019 grand-prize winners and all 1st and 2nd place category winners to the creative circles of Tokyo later this year.
