Hasselblad has announced the ten winners of its Hasselblad Master Award for 2008. More than 1,700 entries to the contest, which covers ten separate categories of photography. The ten winners each receive a framed diploma and the free use of a Hasselblad H3DII DSLR camera system for four months. Details of the Hasselblad Master Awards 2009 will be announced on the Hasselblad website in February 2008.

Hasselblad Press Release

Hasselblad Announces Master Award Winners for 2008

Hasselblad today announces the ten winners of its Hasselblad Master Award for 2008.

Whereas in previous years Hasselblad has awarded 12 separate Master Awards for overall photographic ability, the 2008 Hasselblad Master Awards are presented across ten separate categories of photography and the winners are as follow:

Architectural
Name: Benjamin Antony Monn
Country: Germany
Web: www.benjaminmonn.de

Editorial
Name: Louie Palu
Country: USA
Web: www.louiepalu.com

Fashion / Beauty
Name: Andrej Kopac
Country: Canada
Web: www.andrejkopac.com

Fine Art
Name: Julia Fullerton-Batten
Country: England
Web: www.juliafullerton-batten.com

General
Name: Bronek Kozka
Country: Australia
Web: www.kozka.com

Landscapes / Nature
Name: Hans Strand
Country: Sweden
Web: www.hansstrand.com

Portrait
Name: Morfi Jiménez Mercado
Country: Peru
Web: www.morfijimenez.com / http://www.incaprincess.org/sesions/MunayWarmikuna/index.htm

Products
Name: Gregor Halenda
Country: USA
Web: www.gregorhalenda.com

Upcoming
Name: August Bradley
Country: USA
Web: www.AugustBradley.com

Wedding /social
Name: Then Kevin
Country: Malaysia
Web: www.kevinhan.net

Picking the ten winners of the Hasselblad Master Awards 2008 has proved to be a lengthy but enjoyable challenge for Hasselblad, who received more than 1,700 entries to the newly re-energised contest.  With each entrant submitting 10 images, the judges had to review over 17,000 photographs from established professional photographers using large and medium format cameras.  The high level of entries is further proof of the excellent reputation the Hasselblad Master Award has developed over the years for celebrating the best in both established and rising photographic talent.

Given in recognition of a photographer’s contribution to the art of photography, the Master Award is judged on photographic ability, encompassing creativity, composition, conceptual strength and technical skill.  The team at Hasselblad began the rigorous judging process at the beginning of December, before the international jury, comprising the editors of five respected photographic magazines, selected the 10 winners from the 100 finalists.

The ten winners will each receive a framed diploma and the free use of a superb Hasselblad H3DII DSLR camera system for four months.  During that time, they will be able to use the equipment as they wish, although they will also use it to capture images to be included in the production of a unique, high quality, photographic book, to be launched at Photokina in September 2008. 

The book, a special Masters commemorative collection of photographs, will feature pictorials showing images from each winning photographer, who will be asked to interpret the theme ‘passion’ in their own style.  Aware that almost every photographer dreams of having their own creative work showcased in a book, each winner will also receive 50 copies of the book.  Printed in English by German publisher teNeues, the book will also be available in more than 70 countries and will retail at around €60 each.  A further 90 finalists and 400 runners-up will receive Masters Award diplomas. 

Christian Nørgaard, Hasselblad’s newly appointed Photographer Relations Manager, says, “We have been delighted by both the large number and extremely high quality of entries.  We now look forward to seeing the results of the winners’ individual interpretations of ‘passion’, using the best cameras in the world, and to choosing the finest of their images for the commemorative book.”

Details of the Hasselblad Master Awards 2009 will be announced on the Hasselblad website in February 2008, and submissions for the 2009 Awards will be accepted after that.  Due to the increasing popularity of the contest, next year’s judging panel will be twice the size and will also include several photographers of international renown.

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