FROM
WIRE REPORTS
Maika Elan, 27, has won first prize
in the Contemporary Issues Stories category of the 2012 World Press Photo
Contest, for her “The Pink Choice” collection.
With
the prize, Elan, whose real name is Nguyen Thanh Hai, has become the first
Vietnamese photographer ever to win an award from the World Press Photo
Foundation.
“The
Pink Choice” is a series of 45 photos selected from more than 100 taken by the
freelance photographer between July 2011 and March 2012, during which time she
stayed in the homes of 70 gay couples throughout Viet Nam. Twelve from the
collection were selected to be presented at the World Press Photo Contest.
The
photos portray the couples engaged in everyday activities, such as reading,
watching TV and bathing.
Elan
said that she wanted her photos to reflect the normalcy of homosexual couples
to debunk the stigmas they are often shackled with and show that such couples simply
take care of each other in the same loving manner as heterosexual couples.
“Love
is always beautiful, and if we can recognize the love that exists between these
couples we will be better able to accept them,” she explained.
“The
Pink Choice” collection exhibited in Ha Noi late last year and observers were
visibly affected by the depiction the love and care that homosexuals show their
partners.
“I
think the photo series is contemporary for its new approach. In my point of
view, love is always fair for everyone, and I think the judges also considered
that aspect.”
The
World Press Photo Foundation is an independent, nonprofit organization based in
the Netherlands. Founded in 1955, the organization is known for holding the
world’s largest, most prestigious annual press photography contest.
The
foundation’s 2012 contest attracted 103,481 photos taken by 5,666 photographers
from 124 countries.
Swedish
photographer Paul Hansen won the World Press Photo of the Year award for his
shot of two Palestinian children killed in an Israeli missile strike being
carried to their funeral, which was originally published in Dagens Nyheter newspaper.
The
picture shows a group of men marching the dead bodies through a narrow street
in Gaza City. The victims, a brother and sister, are wrapped in white cloth
with only their faces showing.
The
awards ceremony will be held in April in Amsterdam.
