PDN Announces 2013 Photo Annual Award Winners

PDN is proud to announce the award winners for this year's Photo Annual competition, which recognizes the best photography from 2012. Now in its 13th year, the PDN Photography Annual issue features an extensive portfolio of photography in ten different categories, ranging from editorial assignments, photojournalism, portraiture and advertising to photo books, student work and fine art. Additionally, six awards are presented to photographers who are selected to be in the Photo Annual, including the Arnold Newman Prize for New Directions in Photographic Portraiture and the Marty Forscher Fellowship, which recognize photographers following in the footsteps of two photo industry legends. The PDN Photo Annual has become an annual celebration of innovative photography and talented photographers, with collaborative support from industry leaders including Sony, Parsons The New School for Design, Adobe, Epson, Maine Media Workshops and ASMP.

"Each year we are blown away with the quality of work being produced by photographers, and we continue to be inspired - and deeply encouraged - by the level of creativity we see in the entries," explains Lauren Wendle, vice president & publisher of the Nielsen Photo Group. "The PDN Photo Annual has become a celebration of today's image makers that has been embraced and supported by the entire industry."

More than 22 judges - all of whom are renowned in their respective fields of photography - adjudicated this year's competition, sorting through thousands of entries from all over the world before selecting this year's winners. Judges for the 2013 PDN Photo Annual included Natalie Matutshovsky (Time), Paula Tognarelli (Griffin Museum of Photography), Shannon Simon (Interview), Ken Kwok (Los Angeles Times), Jon Jones (Sunday Times Magazine), Ana Dickson (Huffington Post) and Cameron Barnum (BBDO)

In addition to the winners of the 10 categories celebrating every genre of photography and video, which are all included in the June 2013 issue of PDN (now available on newsstands) as well as in the online gallery, the following awards are being presented to photographers who are included in the Photo Annual:

The Arnold Newman Prize for New Directions in Photographic Portraiture
Named after the legendary photographer and "Father of the Environmental Portrait," this award recognizes photographers who are creating works that echo Arnold Newman's iconic style of portraiture. Wayne Lawrence is this year's winner and will receive a $15,000 cash prize and an exhibition at PhoPa Gallery in Portland, Maine.

Marty Forscher Fellowship
This award recognizes students and emerging professionals who have outstanding achievements in humanistic photography. Lisa Wiltse is this year's professional award winner and will receive a $3,000 cash prize; Eugenijus Bardžius from the University of Wales, Newport, South Wales, is the student award winner and will receive a $1,500 cash prize.

Adobe Breakthrough Photography Award
George Logan is the recipient of this award, which celebrates artists who create compelling works through digital imaging. Logan will receive a $1,000 cash prize and a 12-month subscription to the Adobe Creative Cloud.

Sony Emerging Photographer Award
This award recognizes an exceptional young photographer who exhibits talents beyond his or her years and promise for future greatness. Michael Anthony Schmidt is this year's recipient and will receive a $1,000 cash prize, a Sony Alpha NEX-6 camera with a 16-50mm lens and a feature profile in the fall 2013 issue of Emerging Photographer magazine.

Epson Creativity Award
Presented to a photographer who demonstrates originality and creativity in his or her approach to black-and-white photography, the judges unanimously selected Nadav Kander as this year's winner.

PDN Publisher's Choice Award
The first annual PDN Publisher's Choice Award recognizes exceptional and noteworthy work from one of the winners in this year's competition. Aaron Huey is the recipient of this award for his images that appeared in the National Geographic article In the Shadow of Wounded Knee, about the Oglala Lakota who reside on South Dakota's Pine Ridge Reservation. Huey will be featured in a full-page advertisement in an upcoming issue of PDN and receive a $1,500 cash award.

About PDN
No other brand covers professional photography both in print and online like Photo District News. A trusted, unbiased source of news and information on every aspect of photography for over 30 years, PDN showcases cutting-edge photographers, innovative techniques and the latest imaging products and technology each month. PDN is a seven-time winner of the Neal Award for Editorial Excellence from American Business Media, a two-time Lucie Award winner and is an honored recipient of the Griffin Museum of Photography Focus Award for its contributions to the industry. For more information visit pdnonline.com.