Review of the 22nd edition of the IPA Awards in Athens
At the beginning of this year, I wrote a blog about whether or not to enter photo contests. When I returned from Romania, I believe I had some unique images on my memory card that you don't often see online. I entered houses and places that are hardly accessible to photographers. I compiled some of these images into a series I titled "Inside Romania.
This series and a few single photos from Romania have won awards at several photo competitions, with me even becoming category winner in the People Photography category at both the Monovisions Awards and the International Photography Awards (IPA). An achievement I am very proud of.
The IPA Awards invites all category winners to Athens and provides funding for them. It's four days, filled with lectures and portfolio reviews, with an exhibition at the House of Lucie and a concluding Awards Gala at the Benaki Museum. Since the chances of me ever being a part of this again are slim, and for me it is the crowning glory of my work, my husband and I decided to attend the exhibition and Awards Gala together. We made a long weekend in Athens out of it right away.
It was a very special experience, especially since we also had the opportunity to speak briefly with Abdelrahman Alkahlout, the overall winner, who is documenting the genocide in Gaza at great risk and for whom I have great admiration. My thanks to the judges, the Farmani Group staff and Hossein Farmani himself, for organizing this wonderful event.