PRESS RELEASE. For immediate publication. Osnabrück, 28 September 2015

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1 PRESS RELEASE For immediate publication Osnabrück, 28 September 2015 The winners of the Felix Schoeller Photo Award 2015 have been chosen The jury has selected five category winners, the winner of the Emerging Photographer Award and the overall Gold Award winner. Berliner Karolin Klüppel wowed the jury with her work in the portrait category entitled Mädchenland. She received 2,000 euros as category winner and a further 10,000 euros as winner of the overall Gold Award. The awards ceremony took place on 27 September 2015 in Osnabrück s Cultural History Museum, after which the exhibition was officially opened. Each of the five category winners received a trophy and 2,000 euros. The Emerging Photographer Award this year an extremely generous donation by Phase One, the world s leading manufacturer of open-platform, medium-format cameras and solutions went to Mohammad Fahim Ahamed Riyad from Bangladesh for his work entitled Children of the Dead River. The Felix Schoeller Photo Award, which enjoyed its debut in 2013, has now successfully completed its second round. It received entries from professional photographers from 65 countries (2013: 26 countries), including many who had already won international prizes. In his welcoming speech to 100 invited guests, Dr Bernhard Klofat, the Felix Schoeller Group s CEO, stressed the international aspect of the Felix Schoeller Photo Award: I am particularly thrilled by the international dimension, which is reflected in the work submitted by the young photographers. I think that is an excellent fit with a company with global operations such as the Felix Schoeller Group. Michael Dannenmann, who chaired the jury, was particularly impressed by the rich content and emotionally charged issues dealt with by the winning entries. Speaking of the overall winner Karolin Klüppel, the renowned portrait photographer said: In her work she immerses herself in the life of Indian girls, who at an early age take on a very dominant role in the matrilineal society of the indigenous Khasi people. With her photography that is both documentary and painterly she shows these girls in their everyday environment. They are sensitive and powerful portraits that testify to the close relationship between the photographer and her subjects. The photographs submitted by the winner of the Emerging Photographer Award, Mohammad Fahim Ahamed Riyad, are also highly charged both emotionally and in terms of their social commentary: Love for his own country has made the photographer take a very close look at it. He does not remain at a distance behind his camera but shows us through his pictures his sorrow, his compassion and his hope. This is photojournalism and documentary photography 1

2 of the very highest calibre, said jury member Ellen Dietrich (head of photography at Die Zeit weekly newspaper) describing the jury s impression of the work. After Dr Klofat had presented the trophy, Heinz Pabst (Phase One Germany) congratulated the winner of the Emerging Photographer Award. Phase One is going to lend the prizewinner camera equipment and editing software to carry out a particularly ambitious project. The cost of renting it commercially would be 18,000 euros. Great pieces of work and large formats to showcase them The work of the 30 photo artists will be exhibited in a show entitled Winners & Nominees the Felix Schoeller Photo Award 2015 which will run at Osnabrück s Cultural History Museum from 27 September 2015 to 17 January In collaboration with the city of Osnabrück and Cultural History Museum, the winning entries will be presented in large formats on high-quality Felix Schoeller photo paper. Exhibition: Felix Schoeller Photo Award 2015 Venue: Osnabrück s Cultural History Museum, Lotter Strasse 2, Osnabrück Duration: All the winning and nominated entries can also be seen in our permanent digital exhibition at Felix Schoeller Photo Award the 2015 winners Overall winner and winner of the portrait category: Karolin Klüppel, Berlin Title of the work: Mädchenland Karolin Klüppel, born in Kassel in 1985, studied photography at Kassel s School of Art and Design. Her career got off to a flying start with exhibitions in Arles, Geneva and New York. The pictures she took for Mädchenland or Kingdom of Girls, which won her the Felix Schoeller Photo Award, are part of a photo series for National Geographic. She has also won the Canon Profifoto Award. Karolin has been living and working in Berlin since Prizes and grants 2014 Winner of the Canon Profifoto Award for "Mädchenland" 2013 Artist residency with scholarship Vice-Versa Foundation, India 2013 Artist residency - Arteles Creative Centre, Finland 2013 Les Boutographies, Montpellier, France: nomination for the Jury Prize 2012 Voies Off Festival Arles, France: nomination for the Voies Off Prize Winner in the landscape/nature category: Sandra Hoyn, Pinneberg Title of the work: Displaced by Palm Oil: Indonesia s Last Orangutans Sandra Hoyn, born in 1976, studied photography at the University of Applied Sciences in Hamburg, where she now lives and works as a freelance photo journalist. In 2013, she received the Henri Nannen Award, after which her work was published in renowned newspapers and magazines (Die Zeit, Zeit Campus, Chrismon, Der Spiegel, Missio Magazin, NEON, GEO, GEOlino, New York Times Lens Blog) and shown in exhibitions in 12 countries as far afield as Afghanistan and Myanmar. 2

3 Prizes and grants 2014 Selected by LensCulture as one of the top 50 emerging talents 2013 Henri Nannen Award nd place at IPA - International Photography Awards - in the professional editorial sports category 2012 Three silver medals at Px3 - Prix de la Photographie Paris 2011 and 2007 Grant from VG Bild-Kunst 2009 Kindernothilfe Media Award 2004 Kodak Young Talent Award Winner in the architecture/industry category: Sebastian Mölleken, Oberhausen Title of the work: Kitchens in a home for asylum seekers Sebastian Mölleken has been working since 2005 as a portrait and people photographer for advertising agencies and his own direct clients. He creates his own series of photos in parallel to this whenever possible, which then go on show in exhibitions. He is currently putting together a work entitled Pottpromis, which shows prominent celebrities from the Ruhrgebiet region as close-up portraits warts and all. He was the winner in the landscape/nature category in the 2013 Felix Schoeller Photo Award. Prizes and grants 2013 Felix Schoeller Award in the landscape/nature category 2012 Red Dot Award 2012 C.A.R. arts prize 2012 Winner of the Kunstkalender 2013 sponsored by NRW.Bank 2011 Nominated for the DEW Kunstpreis 2010 Grant from the RWE Foundation Winner in the category photojournalism/editorial: Christian Werner, Boitzum Title of the work: 74. Christian Werner, born in Hannover in 1987, has been living and working as a photo journalist in Boitzum since he graduated from the University of Applied Sciences in Hamburg. Christian Werner is an extremely committed photographer and his projects and work are very diverse. He has been rewarded for his efforts with numerous national and international prizes and awards. In 2013, his work entitled "Depleted Uranium" was nominated in the Felix Schoeller Photo Award s photo journalism category. His work has already been exhibited in different countries in Asia, Africa, Eastern Europe and South America. Since 2012, Christian Werner has been represeneted by the laif agency. Prizes 2015 Pictures of the Year international, Award of Excellence, POYi 2015 JGS Photography Contest, Forward Thinking Museum 2015 Hansel Mieth prize (digital), Zeitenspiegel 2015 Coburg Media Award 2015 Axel Springer Award 2015 American Photography 31, selected winner 2014 Magnum Foundation Emergency Fund grantee 3

4 2014 LensCulture 50 Emerging Talents 2014 Winner of the CNN Journalist Award 2014 Bronze medal px3, Prix de la Photographie Paris nd place, UNICEF Picture of the Year 2013 Winner of PDN photo annual 2013 PIC Förderpreis 2013 Kindernothilfe Media Award 2013 Gold medal px3, Prix de la Photographie Paris 2013 Finalist, Felix Schoeller Photo Award 2013 Fellowship 14, Commendation Award, Silver Eye Center for Photography 2013 Canon ProfiFoto Award 13/ Brennpunkt Award th College Photographer of the Year, gold + bronze medal, CPOY nd place, dpa news talent nd place, American Aperture Awards 2012 Unicef Photo of the Year, Honourable Mention rd place in best portfolio category, Freundeskreis des Hauses der Photographie e.v. Winner in the free choice/conceptual category: Thomas Friedrich Schäfer, Berlin Title of the work: Experiential Spaces Thomas Friedrich Schäfer was born in Mainz and grew up in Sao Paulo. He came back to Germany to go to university. After graduating with a bachelor s degree from BTK University of Art and Design in Berlin, he took part in a number of exhibitions in 2014, including in Berlin. The Felix Schoeller Photo Award is this photo artist s first major prize. Emerging Photographer Award: Mohammad Fahim Ahamed Riyad, Dhaka (Bangladesh) Title of the work: Children of the Dead River Mohammad Fahim Ahamed Riyad lives in Bangladesh and is a photography student and freelance documentary photographer. Even when studying for his first degree in electronic engineering, he worked as a self-taught photographer. He is currently doing a master s degree in photography at Pathshala South Asian Media Academy and has already won a number of international awards for his photographic work, including in the Humanity Award in China and Sony World Photography Award. His work has been published in national and international newspapers and magazines, including The Guardian, BBC, Daily Mail UK, Daily Star, etc. Prizes 2014 Atkins CIWEM Environmental Photographer of the Year Sony World Photography Awards 2013 Humanity Photo Awards: Performance Award, China 4

5 The jury Michael Dannenmann Michael Dannenmann - when he is not busy heading the jury - travels the world creating his highly acclaimed portraits of people in their environment. Since 1990, his work has focused on portraits of artists, musicians and writers mainly for international magazines and is on display in numerous exhibitions and collections. He is a member of BFF (German Association of Freelance Photographers) and DGPH (German Photographic Association). Ellen Dietrich Ellen Dietrich trained as a journalist and discovered her love of photography in For 11 years she was in charge of the picture desk at the Rheinischer Merkur weekly paper in Bonn. Since 1997, she has been head of photography at the Hamburg-based Die Zeit, decisively influencing the weekly paper s visual identity. She also lectures on photo journalism throughout Germany and Switzerland. Thomas Gerwers Thomas Gerwers brings over two decades of knowledge of the creative and cultural aspects of photography to his work on the jury. He is editor-in-chief and co-publisher of ProfiFoto, the leading professional photography magazine in the German-speaking world. He is a member of DGPH (German Photographic Association), ADF (Arbeitskreis Digitale Fotografie) and Chairman of the Board of TIPA (Technical Image Press Association). Gérard A. Goodrow Gérard A. Goodrow was born in New Jersey, USA, in He studied at Rutgers University in New Jersey, the City University of New York and Cologne University. Key stages in his career include his work with the Ludwig Museum in Cologne ( ), the Ursula Blickle Foundation in Kraichtal ( ), Christie s auction house in London ( ) and ART COLOGNE and Cologne Fine Art ( ) art fairs. He has been a lecturer at the Center for International Arts Management (CIAM) in Cologne and Düsseldorf since In the last 25 years, Gérard Goodrow has organised over 50 art and photography exhibitions in Germany and abroad. He is highly sought after as a lecturer and writer on international contemporary art, photography and the global art market. Gérard A. Goodrow lives as a freelance curator and writer in Cologne. Norbert Waning After graduating with a degree in communication design, Norbert Waning worked as art director and head of advertising with one of Germany s largest book publishers and then an account director with an international advertising agency. From 1973 to 1993, he was managing partner in Waning & Partners advertising agency. From 1987 to 2014, he was chief executive of the German Association of Freelance Photographers (BFF), one of Europe s most prestigious professional photographers associations. Norbert Waning was responsible for, or on the jury of, over 120 photo competitions. He has curated countless photography exhibitions and been responsible for over 200 exhibitions in Germany and abroad (from China and Europe to North America). He is passionate about the photographed image. That is evident in his private photo collection. Norbert Waning lives in Stuttgart. Image files are available for all entries that were nominated for or won a prize in the Felix Schoeller Photo Award We will be happy to send you high-res files for publications in connection with this press release, along with any other information you might require about the award. Please your enquiry to: k.graef@graef-advertising.com 5

6 Please do not publish any images of nominated or prize-winning entries without credits. Thank you! You can download this and other press releases in the Felix Schoeller Photo Award website s press room Background information on the Felix Schoeller Group Founded in 1895, the Felix Schoeller Group is a family business with worldwide operations producing specialty papers. With around 2,340 employees, the renowned Osnabrück-based company produced and marketed almost 310,000 tonnes of specialty papers in 2014 and posted a total turnover of appr. 720 million euros. The Felix Schoeller Group develops, produces and markets specialty papers for photographic applications, digital printing systems, the packaging market, self-adhesive applications and for the furniture, wood-based products and wallpaper industry. In addition to its Osnabrück main site and headquarters, the Felix Schoeller Group has four other production facilities in Germany - in Weissenborn and Penig in Saxony, in Titisee-Neustadt (Baden- Württemberg) and in Günzach (Bavaria). It also has production facilities in the USA and Canada and is involved in a joint venture in the Russian Federation. It has sales & service centres in Sao Paulo, Tokyo, Shanghai, Kuala Lumpur, Moscow and Prague. The Felix Schoeller Group exemplifies uncompromising quality, unique flexibility and true partnership. The result: Best Performing Papers. Worldwide. Since July 2013 the Felix Schoeller Group has been the official premium paper partner of the German Olympic team. Background information on Phase One: Phase One is the world s leading manufacturer of open-platform medium-format camera systems and solutions. Phase One s medium-format cameras, digital backs and lenses are developed with the specific aim of delivering the best possible image quality under the hard conditions photographers face in their daily work. Phase One s powerful innovative drive ensures that any investment in its cuttingedge technology is certain to hold its value over the long-term. For many photographers of international renown, working with Phase One systems means being able to rely on professional technology of the very highest calibre. As well as camera technology, Phase One s Capture One software offers optimised capture and post-production workflow. Professional photographers can capitalise on Phase One s combination of camera system and software to achieve their creative vision. Founded in 1993, Phase One is an employee-owned company. It is headquartered in Copenhagen and has offices in New York, London, Tokyo, Cologne and Hong Kong. 6

7 For any enquiries please contact: Dr Friederike Texter Senior Vice President Corporate Communication Schoeller Technocell GmbH & Co. KG Burg Gretesc Osnabrück Germany Phone: +49 (0) Fax +49 (0) Hans-Joachim Graef Graef Advertising GmbH Kollegienwall Osnabrück Germany Phone: +49 (0) Mobile: +49 (0)