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With an estimated one million Pangolins trafficked to Asia in the last 10 years, Stirton’s series explores the illegality of this trade, where their scales are used in traditional Chinese and Vietnamese medicine and their meat is sold as a high-priced delicacy. As a result, Pangolins are listed as critically endangered and anyone who trades or consumes them is breaking the law. There are only three true Pangolin rescue and rehabilitation sites in the world aimed at protecting these extremely fragile animals. The vast majority die quickly in captivity.
Mike Trow, Chair of the 2020 Professional competition says: “This year’s judging process was challenging – there were several extraordinary stories and sets of images that could have won. Pangolins in Crisis, however, stood out in the Natural World and Wildlife category.”
Commenting on his win, Stirton says: “I’m genuinely thrilled after winning this award, especially considering the vast number of talented entrants from all over the world. I hope this means more people will become aware of the wildlife we are losing and the reasons why.“
Announced alongside Stirton’s win are ten category winners of the Professional competition, second and third place as well as overall winners of the Open, Student and Youth competitions. The Photographer of the Year title was awarded to Pablo Albarenga, from Uruguay, for his series – “Seeds of Resistance”.
Albarenga’s series is a powerful visual record of how deforestation goes hand-in-hand with the destruction of communities and people. His brilliant set of images explore the bond between the defenders of their lands – a sacred area in which hundreds of generations of their ancestors rest. In the photographs, the main characters in the stories are seen from above, as though they are laying down their lives for their territory.
“Seeds of Resistance” is a body of work that pairs photographs of landscape and territories in danger from mining and agribusiness, with portraits of the activists fighting to conserve them. In 2017, at least 207 leaders and environmentalists were killed while protecting their communities from projects threatening their territories. According to a 2018 report by Global Witness, most of these cases occurred in Brazil with 57 assassinations being recorded, of which 80% were against people defending the Amazon.
Produced by the World Photography Organisation, the internationally acclaimed Sony World Photography Awards is one of the most important fixtures in the global photographic calendar. The awards aim to reward the world’s leading photographers, celebrating the unique ways that individuals see the world, as well as the talent, dedication and creativity needed to frame it. Now in its 13th year, the free-to-enter Awards are a global voice for photography and provide a vital insight into contemporary photography today. For both established and emerging artists, the Awards offer world-class opportunities for exposure of their work.
The Awards additionally recognise the world’s most influential artists working in the medium through the Outstanding Contribution to Photography Awards; previous recipients include Martin Parr, William Eggleston and Nadav Kander. The Awards showcase the works of winning and shortlisted photographers at a prestigious annual exhibition at Somerset House, London. To find out more please visit worldphoto.org/sony-world-photography-awards-exhibition
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