Acclaimed in the industry as the "Oscars of the Imaging World" and one of the most prestigious photography competitions in China, the "500px 4th China Rising Photographers Discovery Journey" Annual Rising Photographers Awards Ceremony will be held on January 11 at the Fudu Qingfengyuan Hotel in Changzhou, Jiangsu Province. This grand event will announce the winners of the 2013 China Rising Photographers Awards.
The 500px "China Rising Photographers Discovery Journey" was launched in 2010, and this year marks its fourth edition. The "Rising Photographers Discovery Journey" is dedicated to scouting new forces in the photography world, continuously uncovering emerging local photographic talent, providing more creative opportunities for innovative rising photographers, and contributing to building a healthy ecosystem for China’s imaging industry.
The 2013 edition of the 500px "China Rising Photographers Discovery Journey" officially kicked off on July 1. It went through four stages: open call, preliminary selection, refinement, and final selection. The open call lasted four months and received 1,872 series from 1,377 photographers, totaling 32,175 images. During the refinement stage, after repeated reviews, comparisons, discussions, and selections by authoritative judges such as Ruan Yizhong, Gu Zheng, Xiao Quan, Gao Lei, Chen Guangjun, Liu Lihong, Duan Yuting, Wang Jingchun, and Yan Zhigang, 10 series were ultimately selected. Their authors were shortlisted as nominees for the Top Ten Rising Photographers, competing for the 2013 Rising Photographers Award. They are (in no particular order): Sheng Junwei "Faceless," Zhang Wei "Artificial Troupe – The Leaders," Yang Liu "A Chinese Fatty’s Western Art History," Ouyang Shizhong "New Territory – New Jiangnan Water Town," Li Hong & Qiang "The Lost ‘Landscape’," Liu Tao "24 Abducted Children," Yang Yang "Floating Dust," Wu Jingli "Inside and Outside Zhuangli," Song Wenhui "The Land of Our Forefathers," and Li Ming "Home."
All finalists will attend a portfolio review session organized by 500px on January 10 at Canal No. 5, a creative district located by the canal on Sanbao Street in Changzhou, Jiangsu Province. They will engage in in-depth, face-to-face exchanges with the judges. The judges will comprehensively evaluate each photographer’s creative background, intentions, and future artistic plans, while also providing targeted advice and suggestions regarding both the works and the photographers themselves. Ultimately, based on the portfolios and personal evaluations, the judges will select the winner of the Annual Rising Photographers Award.
Unlike previous editions, this year’s "500px China Rising Photographers Discovery Journey" will also host the "New Imaging Power Summit" with the theme "Building a New Photography Ecosystem." The summit has invited Frederick Baldwin, Founder and President of the Houston FotoFest (USA), Pierre-Yves Mahé, Director of the Paris College of Art and Curator of the Musée Niépce (France), and renowned Taiwanese contemporary photographer Ruan Yizhong to deliver keynote speeches. Additionally, the summit will explore three topics in depth with the competition judges and special guests: "Glory and Dreams: How Chinese Photography Connects with the International Stage," "Representation and Expression: How Chinese Photography Breaks from Tradition," and "Value and Discovery: How the Image Collection Market Can Thrive Rationally." The summit aims to provide more perspectives and insights for building a positive and emerging photography ecosystem in China.
In addition, following the successful exhibition last year, this year’s "Rising Photographers Discovery Journey" will continue to host an exhibition in collaboration withChangzhou Guanghefang Culture Communication Co., Ltd., featuring the "500px 2013 China Rising Photographers Works Exhibition" at Canal No. 5, the creative district in Changzhou. In addition to showcasing works by the Top Ten Rising Photographers, the exhibition will also include 50 images from the "Passion for France" series provided by Sipa Press, one of the world’s four major photo agencies, as well as a themed exhibition by 20 renowned photographers from Changzhou under the theme "Harmony in Diversity." The rich variety of themes will bring a fitting conclusion to this year’s Rising Photographers Discovery Journey. Gao Lei, the exhibition curator, internationally acclaimed photography artist, and one of the judging guests, spoke highly of the 500px’s four-year "China Rising Photographers Discovery Journey": "This is an event that creates a ‘rising ecosystem.’ Its rigorous and fair selection mechanism affirms the free spirit of grassroots photographers. This mechanism serves as a catalyst for encouraging rising talents to spread correct values to the general public—not as a planner of ostentatious displays, nor as a ferryman (Charon) who sends them to the ‘island of art museums’ to become new art elites.
The exhibition will officially open at 10:00 AM on January 11 at Canal No. 5, No. 141 Sanbao Street, Changzhou, and is expected to run until February 28.
Information 1: Judges of the 2013 500px Rising Photographers Discovery Journey
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