Banff, Alberta, June 24, 2013 -- The judges for the 2013 Banff Mountain Photography Competition have chosen not to award a winner this year. “We received many brilliant individual images in this year’s competition,” says Joni Cooper, program director for Banff Mountain Festival. “The competition’s goal is to showcase the best in mountain-themed photo essays – to recognize the best stories told through a series of still images. Our jury members were unable to choose an entry which met their expectations for an award-winning visual story. It was a very difficult decision, and not one the jury, or the festival, took lightly.”
“In their comments to us,” Cooper continued, “the jury said they were seeking a sequence of images that communicated a compelling story or message – with each image strong enough to stand on its own, while conveying a greater narrative. They emphasized that a story told in pictures needs to convey emotion. While many entries creatively communicated wilderness and wildlife themes, they fell short of expressing a larger vision or coherent story.”
“We thank everyone who took the time and effort to enter this year’s competition,” Cooper added. “We welcome their feedback, and we are working to better define the competition’s guidelines for future years.”
2013 photography competition prize money will be redirected to support Banff Centre scholarships for mountain artists. Competition entry fees ($10.00 per submitted photo essay) will be refunded upon request, with remaining 2013 entry fees also directed to artist support. One hundred and forty-seven photo essays were submitted to the 2013 competition.
The members of the 2013 Banff Mountain Photography Competition jury were Banff Centre Globe Canada correspondent Ian Brown, fine art photographer/painter Conrad Habing, internationally-exhibited photographer and curator of photography for the Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies Craig Richards, and The Banff Centre’s head of photographic services Don Lee.
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About the Banff
Mountain Film and Book Festival: Created 40 years ago,
the Banff Mountain Film and Book Festival has become the premier event of its
kind in the world. The Festival showcases the world’s best films, books and
photographs on mountain subjects – climbing, culture, environment and natural history,
exploration and adventure, wildlife, and sport – and attracts the biggest names
in mountaineering, adventure filmmaking, and extreme sports as presenters and
speakers. More than 80 films screen during the nine-day festival, and an
international jury awards over $50,000 annually in prizes.
About
The Banff Centre: The Banff Centre's mission is
inspiring creativity. Thousands of artists, leaders, and researchers from
across Canada and around the world participate in programs at The Banff Centre
every year. Through its multidisciplinary programming, The Banff Centre provides
them with the support they need to create, to develop solutions, and to make
the impossible possible. Moving forward, the Centre will disseminate the art
and ideas developed in Banff through initiatives in digital, web, radio, and
broadcast media.