More than 60,000 entries from 153 countries and regionsNikon Photo Contest International 2010-2011 Announcement of Winners

TOKYO- Nikon Corporation is pleased to announce the selection of the award winners for the Nikon Photo Contest International 2010-2011.

The Grand Prix award winner is "Learning to fly" by Mr. Debarshi Duttagupta. This photo, along with the other award winners will be announced and displayed on the Nikon Photo Contest International 2010-2011 Judging Results page. (http://www.nikon-npci.com)

Grand Prix Award winner: Learning to fly
Debarshi Duttagupta (India)

The world's largest international photo contest of its kind

Nikon sponsors the Nikon Photo Contest International to provide a venue for professional and amateur photographers around the world to communicate, and also to contribute to the enrichment and further development of photographic culture. In recent years, the contest has been staged every other year.

First held in 1969, the 33rd contest invited submissions in two categories under the themes of "free subject" and "Energy." Roughly 23,000 photographers from 153 countries and regions submitted over 60,000 photographs. This makes it the largest contest to be held to date, in terms of the number of submissions and the number of entrants. The cultural diversity of the entrants also continues to expand with each staging of the contest.

The photograph selected as the Grand Prix Award winner from among this large number of submissions was "Learning to fly" by Debarshi Duttagupta of India. In addition to the Grand Prix award winner, which was singled out as the best of the best, a total of 53 award winners were chosen from the over 60,000 photos submitted in the "free subject" and "Energy" categories.

A comment from the winner, Debarshi Duttagupta

This shot was taken in Varanasi, India. The sheer energy created by the diver was truly fascinating. This was an experience of a lifetime, for which the true feeling cannot be expressed in words, although it can definitely be expressed through my camera.

A word from the judges regarding the Grand Prix winner

"A birdman flies through the darkening sky in the moments before twilight arrives. Having arrived home from a long day on the water, fishermen work to tie up their boats. And the viewer wonders if the boy in the foreground might not be watching fish playing near the water's surface. While these three stories unfold independently within the single frame, they complement each other to combine and form a tale of a leisurely moment before the day closes. As darkness falls, all activities will cease. It is a tale that expresses the balance achieved between man and nature where people still live a traditional lifestyle. Within minutes, the sky will grow as dark as the earth. The winning photo captures a precious moment that conveys the story of a small fishing village through activities that have been repeated daily for generations. One might even sense a touch of sadness, as people the world over react in similar fashion to the nostalgic pangs experienced at sunset.
The key to this photo's success is in its capturing that magically moment of beauty as evening slips into night." (Mr. Hiromi Tsuchida)

The award winners along with their works can be seen on the Nikon Photo Contest International 2010-2011 Judging Results web site beginning today

• Nikon Photo Contest International

A mini gallery is also planned for the site. Here we will introduce works other than those submitted for the contest by the Grand Prix Award and Young Photographer Award winners, as well as the runners-up,
Also scheduled is an exhibition of the winning photographs from the Nikon Photo Contest International 2010-2011.

• Tokyo: Wednesday, August 31 - Tuesday, September 13 at Ginza Nikon Salon
• Osaka: Thursday, October 6 - Wednesday, October 19 at Osaka Nikon Salon.
• London: Monday, September 12 - Saturday, October 8 at Getty Images Gallery

The copyright of award winning photographs of Nikon Photo Contest International 2010-2011 belong to photographers and is protected by law.
The images can be viewed on your monitor for non-commercial and personal purpose, and should not be used otherwise.
The images are not allowed to be modified, used for commercial purpose nor should they be publicly displayed.