Vattenfall Fotopreis for Berlin 2012

The winners
1. Prize: Stephanie Steinkopf

2. Prize Hajime Kimura
3. Prize Karina-Sirkku Kurz
Best Single Photo Philipp Plum
Honorary Mention Zuzanna Kałuzna as well as Miguel Hahn & Jan-Christoph Hartung

Danger: High Voltage! Whether we encounter it in storms, thrillers, sports, games, electricity, conflict, or love—our lives are full of tension. Tensions arise in all forms and levels of intensity: they can tickle our nerves or engulf us in stress; sometimes they can even be deadly. Tension is invisible yet real and tangible, and it influences our decisions and actions. This makes visualizing tension a great challenge. What shapes can it take? How does tension arise, and how is it released? And how does it interact with its opposite, relaxation? Young and emerging photographers were invited to interpret the theme of this year’s competition, “tension”, freely and also metaphorically.

With the Vattenfall Photo Prize, C/O Berlin and Vattenfall intend to support narrative photography and to present talented young photographers to a broad audience. The winners will not only receive prize money but also have their work shown in a solo exhibition from 25 January to 24 February 2013. With a total of 27,000 euros in prize money, the Vattenfall Photo Prize is one of the most generous awards for emerging photographers in Germany: the first prize is 10,000 euros, the second prize is 8,000 euros, and the third prize is 6,000 euros. There is also a 3,000 euro special prize for the best individual photograph. More than 300 photopraphers applied this year. Entries were judged by a professional jury. Ingo Taubhorn, Deichtorhallen Hamburg, Stephan Erfurt, C/O Berlin, Robert Lebeck, photographer, Rainer Knauber, Vattenfall GmbH, Isabelle Meiffert, Vattenfall Collection selected the three strongest bodies of work from the entries submitted.

Contexts for the presentation of classic documentary photojournalism have been declining over the last decade with the digitization and restructuring of the print media market. It has become almost impossible for young photographers today to shoot their own stories and find venues to publish them. With the Vattenfall Photo Prize, C/O Berlin and Vattenfall intend to support narrative photography and to present talented young photographers to a broad audience.

Vattenfall is one of the largest producers of power and largest producer of heat in Europe. Social engagement is an essential component of Vattenfall’s corporate philosophy. Through its commitment to the promotion of culture, Vattenfall recognizes outstanding artistic accomplishments by individual artists and art projects.