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| © Chris Anthony |
| From Chris Anthony's Victims and Avengers series. Click photo for more images from the competition. |
It is with great pleasure and greater pride that we present the winning entries of our second annual American Photo Images of the Year Competition. Many photography contests are held around the world each year, but the Images of the Year Competition is unique in the breadth of photography it showcases, from photojournalism to fine art, from advertising work to student work, from nature photography to wedding photography. The competition represents in the strongest terms American Photo's commitment to finding and publishing the best photography in the world, from professional photographers and amateurs alike.
It also represents a thrilling look back at the images that shaped our visual culture in 2007. The photographs on the following pages will take you on a journey from the battlefields of Iraq to the ice fields of Antarctica; they explore everything from the nature of celebrity to the idea of nature itself.
In our second year we saw a dramatic shift in the scope of material we looked at. After issuing our call for entries early in 2007, we began receiving photographs from around the world. We gathered thousands of photographs in our six categories: Photojournalism and Documentary; Commercial; Portrait and Wedding; Nature; Student Work; and Personal Work. The entries came from individual photographers, as well as from photo agencies, magazines, and art galleries.
The entries were prescreened by the AP staff, and the final judging was done on September 27 by a panel of photography experts. This year's jury included noted editorial and advertising art director Marc Balet; author and filmmaker James Crump; and photojournalism legend Eliane Laffont, who, among other endeavors, cofounded the Sygma photo agency. Joining them was American Photo's executive editor, Russell Hart.
Over the course of four hours, the judges diligently performed their work, evaluating the widely varied finalists with identical criteria: originality, excellence of execution, and overall impact. They picked winners in each category, as well as honorable mentions. The winners share more than $10,000 in prizes.
In addition, a grand-prize winner was selected from among the six category winners. The winner's identity was revealed in a gala event in New York City on December 6, and that person's work will be featured in the March/April issue of AP.
We offer congratulations to the winners and sincere thanks to everyone who participated in this competition. You've proven that the state of photography is nothing less than awesome. We look forward to seeing what you come up with in 2008.
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