Epson has announced that it has selected the winners of this year's Colour Imaging Contest, an annual award that seeks to support the development of a new era in the culture of digital expression. A total of 66 photographic and graphic works were selected (43 from Japan and 23 from other countries and territories) from among 9,470 entries (7,873 in the photography category; 1,597 in graphics).
This year, no grand prize winner was selected and instead runner-up prizes were awarded in each of the two categories.
Photography runner-up prize
Kanae Murayama (19), Kanagawa Prefecture
Title: "I want to touch it one more time." (50-page photo collection)
Award: ¥1 million + supplementary prize of Epson products
Graphics runner-up prize
Tomonori Hori (26), Mie Prefecture
Title: "Tomonori Hori" (work created from 391 images)
Award: ¥1 million + supplementary prize of Epson products
From December 20, 2007, the award-winning works will be on display at Spiral Garden in Aoyama, Tokyo. In addition to showcasing this year's winning entries, the exhibit will feature new works by last year's Grand Prize winner Tetsutaro Nishimoto, and Runner-Up Prize recipient Cozue Takagi, as well as works by other past winners of the contest, produced using Epson's latest technology, and a display corner where visitors can try Epson's latest printers firsthand and experience a world of creativity made possible through print.
This year, the grand prize was not awarded. The Colour Imaging Contest marked its 14th round in 2007. Perhaps it is because entrants are feeling constrained by the craftsmanship of the previous winners, but we have seen a decline over the years in the number of ambitious works that try to freely explore new methods of expression. In past years, the process of selecting the top awards from among the superior works that made it through to the final round of judging has involved intense discussions between the committee members before they reach agreement on a single grand prize winner. This year, however, there was even more of a battle than usual. The six committee members were unable to find a work that they could agree was "a creative expression that stood out as being appropriate for the grand prize." Accordingly, they made the unusual decision to instead select the best works from each category and award them both runner-up prizes.
Epson Australia
www.epson.com.au
This contest is intended to support, promote, and offer a venue for new and free avenues of expression that are brimming with creative energy. We encourage future applicants not to be constrained by trends or techniques, but to submit works that reflect their originality and show the unfettered results of their creativity.
