The premium camera brand Hasselblad has announced the winners of its multi-category Hasselblad Masters 2023 competition.
The categories for submissions from photographers of all ages and types were Landscape, Architecture, Portrait, Art, Street and a special category called “Project/21.”
While the other categories above are self-explanatory, the last was specially assigned for submissions from young photographers under the age of 21.
The entire competition, however, welcomed submissions from anyone at all, whether they’re “renowned industry professionals”, emerging talents or complete newcomers to the world of photography and photo competitions.
All categories also welcomed photos in either color or black and white and, somewhat uniquely for the world of online photo competitions, the entire submission process, allowing up to several images per category, was entirely free of charge.
Another cool aspect of the competition was that it welcomes photographers to submit photos taken with any kind of camera, not just a (usually very expensive) Hasselblad device.
All photos submitted also had to be their respective creators’ unique works and free of major manipulation or generation through AI tools.
For winners in each category, each obtained the prestigious title of “Hasselblad Master” and was awarded their own Hasselblad 100-megapixel mirrorless medium format camera, two XCD Series lenses, and a creative fund cash award of 5,000 Euros (roughly 5,345 USD.)
Another component of being declared a winner is the opportunity to participate in one collaborative project with Hasselblad and have their work published in a commemorative Hasselblad Masters book. Hasselblad will also publish their winning photographic works on its digital channels.
For the 2023 competition for which the winners have now been announced, competition was stiff.
Hasselblad states that it received over 85,000 image submissions from photographers all over the world. This was 35% more than had been the case in the previous Hasselblad Masters event in 2021.
This shouldn’t be too surprising though. Hasselblad is one of the world’s most respected camera brands and its competition is widely acclaimed for its prestige.
That submitting any number of photos up to the full limit per category was free is also a strong enticement.
Voting to choose winning entries was handled through a combination of public voting and final selection of curated works by a professional grand jury of recognized photographers and image experts.
Now, here’s a breakdown of the 2023 winners per category, and their selected works:
Landscape
Series name: Tibetan Landscape from the Train Window
Winner/nationality: Weimin Chu, China
Description: Different Tibetan landscapes shot through a train window.
Architecture
Winner/nationality: Tiina Itkonen, Finland
Series name: Home
Description: The traditional lives and homes of Inuit hunters in remote parts of Greenland.
Portrait
Winner/nationality: Panji Indra Permana, Indonesia
Series name: Bicycle Street Sellers of Jakarta
Description: A multi-year project documenting Indonesia’s cycling trend during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Art
Winner/nationality: Jan Pypers, Belgium
Series name: Diorama
Description: An exploration of humanity’s lost bond with nature through a blend of reality and surrealism.
Street
Winner/nationality: Tomm Pitts, United Kindgom
Series name: The Commute
Description: En exploration of the faces and emotions of strangers on public transportation in England.
Project/21
Winner/nationality: Efraïm Baaijens, Netherlands
Series name: Tiny Titans
Description: A visual exploration of the beauty and detail of the faces of insects.
Each of the winners in each of the above categories will obtain their own camera, creative fund and right to participate in collaborative work with Hasselblad as described above.
Hasselblad Masters has been in operation since 2001 and is held every two years as an open, accessible platform for photographers worldwide hoping to showcase their most interesting work.
For a much closer examination of the winning shots and other images, I strongly recommend you explore the Hasselblad Masters 2023 site.
