Heartbreaking wartorn goodbye wins Siena International Photo Awards
Salwan Georges, an esteemed Iraqi-American photojournalist, has been named the overall winner of the Siena International Photo Awards 2023 for his powerful documentation of the devastating realities of war.
His winning photograph, Georgy, captures the heartbreaking moment that George Keburia put his family on a train to evacuate their home of Odesa as the conflict between Ukraine and Russia escalated. Filled with sorrow and apprehension but underpinned with love, George’s capture is a striking reminder of how the innocent are affected by war.
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Overall winners and category winners were officially announced at an awards ceremony held at the Teatro dei Rinnovati in Siena, Italy. It marked the opening of the Siena Awards 2023, an annual celebration of visual arts that runs until November 19.
Showcasing some of the biggest names in the photography world, this year William Albert Allard presents a body of work from his 50-year career with National Geographic, Brian Skerry will share his specialist underwater environmental photography, and Gabriele Galimberti documents the intricate and topical relationship between the US and firearms.
Over the next two months, winners and runners-up from the Creative Photo Awards will have their work exhibited at the Magazzini del Sale as part of the I Wonder If You Can exhibition. The winning works from the Drone Photography Awards will also be shown in an outdoor group exhibition at the San Galgano Abbey, in an exhibition titled Above Us Only Sky.
Split into 12 categories, the Siena Photo Awards is open to a diverse range of photographers with different specialist backgrounds. US photographer Matt McClain was awarded first place in the Fascinating Faces and Characters category for his photo, Shooting Range Participant. Shyjith Onden Cheriyath prevailed with the image Following their Tradition (below) in the Journeys & Adventures category, while Fabio Savini’s captivating shot New Generation was crowned the winner in The Beauty of Nature category.
Other categories and their worthy winners include Animals in their Envoronment (Torie Hilley), Sports in Action (Samuel Barnes), Street Photography (Segalen Benoit), Underwater Life (lillian Koh), Storytelling: General News (Siegfried Modola), Storytelling: Nature, Environment and Conservation Issues (Morgan Heim), Storytelling: Daily Life and Contemporary Issues (Laetitia Vançon) and Best Author was awarded to Wolfgang Schwan.
Amy Vitale’s powerful video piece Remembering Sudan, which pays tribute to the Sudanese Rhino, landed her first place in the video category.
This incredible collection of powerful and thought-provoking images is available to view at the Sinea Photo Awards exhibition on November 19. Alternatively, head to the online gallery to view the winners, runners-up, and honorable mentions for each category.
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