Unveiled the winners of the XIV edition of URBAN Photo Awards 2023

Russian photographer Natalya Saprunova with the shot “Going to save themselves from the abnormal heat” is the Overall Winner of URBAN Photo Awards 2023, chosen by the president of the jury Alec Soth among all the first ranked in the Streets, People, Spaces and Creative categories in the Single Photos section.

The Winner was announced and awarded live at the URBAN Photo Awards ceremony, Saturday 28 October at the Auditorium of the Museo Revoltella, as part of the tenth edition of Internationl Urban Photography Festival Trieste Photo Days 2023 festival.

Going to save themselves from the abnormal heat – Natalya Saprunova

According to Alec Soth, Natalya’s shot is the perfect example of how looking for technical perfection becomes and hinderance when it comes to judging art.

Here is complete comment of Alec Soth about the photo:

The danger of judging art is that it creates the misconception that there are quantifiable elements of greatness. If anything, the technical perfection that we look for in sport is a hinderance when it comes to art. Natalya Saprunova’s winning photograph is the perfect example. There’s nothing special about the composition. Instead of the “golden ratio” or “rule of thirds” we see the subject plopped in the middle of the frame. But even this centeredness is imperfect with too little foreground and no separation between the heads and the background. But like the subject it depicts, Saprunova’s photograph is about real life, not perfection. It’s about four distinct but ordinary children standing in a specific but unexceptional location. And yet, for all of this specificity and ordinariness, there’s an aura of the archetypal. I’m reminded of August Sander’s iconic image of three young farmers and the classic illustration of the March of Progress from primate to man. Saprunova’s photograph simultaneously describes an average summer day while conjuring deep feelings about childhood and the passage of time.

The winner of the Projects & Portfolios section is “The Post-industrial Rust Belt“, by American photographer Andrew Borowiec. Andrew’s project tells about the degradation and desolation of the post-industrial rust belt in America, the territory that was the American industrial heartland and which extends from the state of New York to the shores of Lake Michigan, in the west and in the Appalachians south of the Ohio River, in constant decline since the 1980s.

The Post-industrial Rust Belt was chosen by Jérôme Sessini, who said: “I chose Andrew’s work because it seems to me the most successful work, technically and journalistically. I can see the commitment of the photographer, his fair distance, and his refusal of the usual gimmicks to try to seduce the audience”.

Kadir van Lohuizen, designated juror of the URBAN Book Award section, has awarded CAFUNÉ by Spanish photographer Rafael Fabrés.
“It’s not easy to work in Rio de Janeiro, which can be very violent at times and as a photographer you can be vulnerable at those moments. That makes the work of Rafael special, his intimate and poetic images shows he is capable of winning the trust of people. It’s a beautiful mix of daily life and the hardcore economic and political realities (the work was shot during the Bolsanaro presidency) in Brazil. He has developed a strong signature and therefore deserves the award.”

The newly introduced URBAN Press Award prize was won by Polish author Krzysztof Bednarski with his project Parisian Night Stories.
The URBAN Press Award winner will be selected and published by the best specialized press in the field of photography. The Winner will receive an international award and important branding and promotion opportunities.

Here are the words of the winning author Krzysztof Bednarski about his project:
“Parisian Night Stories embarks on a visual journey through the pulsating heart of Paris after dark. The candid moments encapsulate the essence of nocturnal Paris, a vibrant pot of energy. Night wanderers, dreamers and adventurers, all intertwined by the rich cultural heritage and artistic legacy of the city. From the buzzing cafés of Montmartre to the jazz clubs of Saint-Germain, Parisian nightlife has played an influential role in shaping artistic movements. From laughter to romance, the series attempts to capture the spirit of the pulsating Parisian nightlife.” 

German photographer Martin Wacker is the winner of the Icons of Architecture Special Prize offered by Matrix4Design, with the photo Bierpinsel.
Awarded also the selected authors for the prize-exhibitions at the Sartorio Museum (Alain Schroeder, Andrea Bettancini, Giovanni Sacco and Martina D’Agresta) and at the Poreč Museum in Croatia (Francesco Aglieri Rinella).

2023 was also a year of innovation and expansion for URBAN Photo Awards which saw the birth of URBAN Photo Arena, the new section dedicated to young photography talents under 35.
URBAN Photo Arena is the evolution of Trieste Photo Young and aims to discover, support and reward young photographers, offering them a prestigious exhibition space during the international festival Trieste Photo Days.
The winner of this first edition of URBAN Photo Arena is the French photographer Romain Miot with his photo “Becoming an Adult“.

Romain Miot – Becoming an adult

URBAN Photo Awards 2023 / Final Ranking

We would like to thank once again all the partners who contributed to the success of URBAN Photo Awards 2023:

• The Municipality of Trieste, for the support to Trieste Photo Days and the URBAN 2023 exhibition-prize at the Museo Sartorio
• CRAF – Center for Research and Archiving of Photography in Spilimbergo
• Matrix4Design, with which we collaborated for the fourth year in a row with the Icons of Architecture special award
• Fujifilm Italia, for giving away a digital camera and several digital printers
• Stroppa, for giving away its handcrafted shoulder straps
• Manfrotto, for giving away several tripods, backpacks and a trolley
• The Poreč Museum, Croatia, for giving away an exhibition-prize
• Friuli Innovazione, which has been making URBAN Photo Awards medals and trophies for years
• Fondazione Pietro Pittini for sustaining the young photographer section URBAN Photo Arena
• All members of the jury: Alec Soth, Jérôme Sessini, Kadir van Lohuizen, Laura Zalenga, Tatsuo Suzuki, Christele Harrouk, David Christopher Lee,
  Iliana Cepero, Joerg Nicht, Johan Lolos, Sam Horine, Lola Paprocka, Ekaterina Belinskaya, Walter Guadagnini, Benedetta Donato, Moritz Neumüller, Mucsi Emese, Olivier Valsecchi, Michael Kirchoff, Michael Nguyen, Sandrine Herman-Grisel, Federica Berzioli, Pedro Anza, Arnaud Montagard, Simone Bramante, Laura Zalenga, Martina Stranka, Richard Koci Hernandez, Philippe Litzler, Claudia Colecchia, Marioly Vazquez, Michela Messina, Elena Uljančić, Rathika Ramasamy, Atif Saeed, GMB Akash, Andrea Boni.