Thirty-three photographers have been nominated as finalists for the Kenya Photography Awards 2016. Out of 1,607 photo entries submitted between 23rd March and April 30th 2016, the 33 were nominated in nine different categories: News, Creative, Sports, Nature, Portraiture, Daily Life, Special category (Climate Change), Most Promising Young Photographer and a public voting category for People’s Choice.
The 33 were nominated following a rigorous judging process.
The judging was led by Gary Knight, a British photographer, past chairman of World Press Photo Awards and co-founder of the VII photo agency, who was in Kenya to oversee the judging process.
“This is a key milestone in the photography industry. This year, we have seen a rise in number of entries from photographers, some taken from the simple smartphones to ones taken with high-end professional cameras. This shows that we have a lot of potential in the Kenya photography industry,” said Ms Njeri Mwangi, the chief organizer of PAWA 254.
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For the first time, PAWA will be awarding the single and series entries separately. Category winners this year each take home Ksh50,000 and the runner’s-up will get Ksh20,000. The overall winner will pocket an additional Ksh200,000.
Ms Mwangi said the quality of entries was still below expectation. “We expected to see more experienced and professionals entering the competition so that we also showcasing some of the finest photographers’ the country has alongside upcoming ones. We need more people to enter this competition so that we showcase the best shots from the best photographers in the country. After these awards, we will be focusing on master class trainings for photographers to sharpen these skills,” she added.
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