The winners of Pink Lady® Food Photographer of the Year 2021, the world’s leading celebration of the art of food photography and film, have been revealed.
“The range and quality of images this year has been extraordinary,” says Caroline Kenyon, Founder/Director of the Awards. “They tell moving, beautiful, informative, entertaining food stories of every kind from around the world, a world still gripped by the pandemic, and show us how food is the thread that connects us all."
Photographers from Scotland have been honoured in the awards. Lynne Kennedy of the Western Highlands came Second place in the Champagne Taittinger Wedding Food Photographer category with We Did It! A joyful image of a couple celebrating after eloping to the Isle of Skye to get married in September 2020.
Amanda Farnese Heath of East Lothian was Highly Commended in the Champagne Taittinger Wedding Food Photographer category with Wild Wedding For Two. As a result of the pandemic, Amanda had to modify the wild dining events that she would occasionally host.
“I came up with the idea of offering anyone wishing to get married during lockdown a wild tiny wedding with an exquisite banquet in a remote secret location in Scotland.” says Farnese Heath, “This is one of the images from our first minuscule event.”
The restrictions of the pandemic did not defeat the celebrations. The winners were announced by Fred Sirieix, in an exciting Awards ceremony that was live streamed on the competition’s YouTube channel on Tuesday 27 April 2021.
“2021 marks a very special year for Pink Lady® Food Photographer of the Year. On the competition’s tenth anniversary, it is wonderful that a record number of entries were received,” says Phil Turnbull, CEO of APAL, owner of Pink Lady®, and headline sponsor of the Awards since 2011. “Almost 10,500 entries were submitted from over 70 countries around the world. As the reach of the competition grows further, it continues to be a truly global inspiration and celebration of the art of food photography.”
A very special category has been introduced this year in memory of Claire Aho, Finland’s greatest woman photographer - The Claire Aho Award for Women Photographers. The inaugural winner of the Award is Marina Spironetti with her magnificent portrait Female Butchers of Panzano - Martina, one of the women trained by Dario Cecchini, world-famous butcher of Panzano.
In addition to announcing the winners, the highly-prestigious Outstanding Achievement Award was also presented to the World Food Programme.
“Their use of photography to explain their work in places of danger and deprivation around the world is extraordinary. The pandemic has exponentially increased the global need for their support, described as a ‘famine of biblical proportions’.” says Kenyon, “We have been honoured to be partnered by the World Food Programme for several years, and it is wonderful that Rein Skullerud, Head of their Photo Unit, a heroic photographer in his own right, accepts the Award on behalf of WFP.”
This year’s global judging panel, chaired by legendary food photographer, David Loftus, includes Fiona Shields, Head of Photography, Guardian News & Media, Nik Sharma, Cookbook Author and Photographer, Chef Simone Zanoni, Restaurant Le George, Four Seasons Paris, Alison Jacques, Founder, Alison Jacques Gallery and Vitalie Taittinger, President, Champagne Taittinger.
In an exciting first for the competition, the exhibition of the 2021 Finalists will be premiering at The Royal Photographic Society, one of the world’s oldest photographic societies, in Bristol, England. The exhibition will run from 20 November - 12 December 2021. Entry is free.
To view the online gallery of all the 2021 finalists, please visit www.pinkladyfoodphotographeroftheyear.com
ALL CATEGORY WINNERS
Food for the Family (and Overall Winner) Taste Li Huaifeng, China
Bring Home the Harvest Drying Okra F. Dilek Uyar, Turkey
Champagne Taittinger Wedding Food Photographer Many a Slip John Armstrong-Millar, France
Errazuriz Wine Photographer of the Year A Grape View Oscar Oliveras, Spain
Food Influencers Lumière d'automne Deborah Trocchia, Italy
Food for Celebration sponsored by Champagne Taittinger Happy Birthday Li Huaifeng, China
Food in the Field Farmer with his Longhorn Cattle Harry Williams, United Kingdom
Food Stylist Award Winteropulenz; Veggies; Salumi; Fruits de mer; Cobia fillet Martin Grünewald, Germany
Fujifilm Award for Innovation Making Rice Noodles Abdul Momin, Bangladesh
Food at the Table Breakfast at Weekly Market Thong Nguyen, Vietnam
Marks & Spencer Food Portraiture Mulled Pears Harriet Harcourt, Australia
One Vision Imaging Cream of the Crop Cinnamon Emma Sheldrake, Australia
Spayne Lindsay On the Phone Blackberries mxprivé, Germany
The Claire Aho Award for Women Photographers Female butchers of Panzano - Martina Marina Spironetti, Italy
The Philip Harben Award Food in Action Head to Head David Thompson, Taiwan
Pink Lady® Apple a Day Apple in cake Natalia Bogubowicz, Poland
Politics of Food Old Friends Sandro Maddalena, Italy
Production Paradise Previously Published After Party Remko Kraaijeveld, Netherlands
Street Food Enjoying Viet Van Tran, Vietnam
Student Food Photographer of the Year supported by The Royal Photographic Society Beetroots Still Life Sarah Blandford, United Kingdom
Winterbotham Darby Food for Sale Street Vendor Joseph Smith, Malta
World Food Programme Food for Life Drinking from Garbage Md Mahabub Hossain Khan, Bangladesh
WFP Storytellers Innovation Award Family Ziney Abdulhakim Ibrahim, Iraq
Young (15 - 17) Spill the Tea Dewi Hollema, Egypt
Young (11 - 14) Odisha Tribal Markets Indigo Larmour, India
Young (10 and under) Mussels with steam Evie Grimshaw, United Kingdom
Food Film Shorts Parallel Lines Gareth Evans, United Kingdom