Last month, the Nobu Hotel London Portman Square played witness to the Louis Roederer Photography Prize for Sustainability. This was the competition’s inaugural ceremony, and entries were put forward by contemporary photographers whose submissions ran on the theme of ‘terroir’, aimed to underscore the issue of sustainability and the environment.
Works were sized up by an internationally acclaimed panel of judges that included Darius Sanai, the editor-in-chef of LUX Magazine and Condé Nast International; photographer and author Maryam Eisler; Brandei Estes of Sotheby’s London; Azu Nwagbogu, the founder and director of African Artists’ Foundation; curator Carrie Scott; and art patron-and-collector Maria Sukkar.
Photographer Akosua Viktoria Adu-Sanyah clinched the top award with her superlative series entitled ‘Behold the Ocean’, which is part of a wider body of work that surveys the circumstances of climate research in southernmost Patagonia, in South America.
For this particular oeuvre, Adu-Sanyah, a German Ghanaian visual artist and documentary photographer based in Zürich, Switzerland, travelled with a pair of oceanographers in 2020 as they researched ocean acidification, a phenomenon caused by an increase of CO2 taken in from the atmosphere. “Its negative effects are significant: toxic microalgae thrives”, says the artist.
Chair of the panel of judges, Darius Sanai, stated: “On behalf of the judges, it was both a privilege and a challenge to judge such a consistently high standard of works and we are indebted to the artists, and nominators, for bringing such a wealth of artistry and interpretations of our theme to the inaugural prize.”
Jasper Goodall and Sahab Zaribaf finished as runners up, and also received high praise by the panel for their own takes on the theme.
The nature of the competition comes as no surprise from Louis Roederer, centuries-old purveyor of champagne and host of the award, not only as it is a firm that’s renowned for long supporting the arts (its foundation operates with the aim of supporting creative endeavours, notably photography and cinema, with a particular focus on championing rising artists), but one that is also committed to sustainable viticultural practices, such as an organic approach to farming.
To go inside this evening which celebrated the new-wave of talent in the photography world – and to see some of their singular pieces – take a look below…
Akosua Viktoria Adu-Sanyah
Akosua Viktoria Adu-Sanyah
Akosua Viktoria Adu-Sanyah
Jasper Goodall
Sahab Zaribaf
Akosua Viktoria Adu-Sanyah
Jasper Goodall
Simon Leadsford and Richard Billett
Left to right: Frédéric Rouzaud, Maria Sukkar, Maryam Eisler, Akosua Viktoria Adu-Sanyah, Carrie Scott, Brandei Estes, Darius Sanai
Olivia Capaldi and Grant Campbell
Emily Pugh
Nobu Hotel London Portman Square
Jasper Goodall
Darius Sanai
Frédéric Rouzaud
Want more photography inspiration? Wimbledon’s official photographer tells you how to ace your (camera) shots…
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