Parsippany, NJ—Hasselblad announced the six category winners in the Hasselblad Masters 2023 photography competition. Furthermore, the categories included Landscape, Architecture, Portrait, Art, Street and Project//21. The competition welcomed submissions from renowned professionals, emerging talents as well as photographers under the age of 21.
Each winner obtains the title of “Hasselblad Master” as well as receives a Hasselblad 100-megapixel mirrorless medium-format camera. They also garner two XCD series lenses and an expanded creative fund of EUR 5,000 ($5,356.97 US). In addition, they will participate in a collaborative project with Hasselblad. Moreover, their work will appear in the commemorative Hasselblad Masters book and digitally on all Hasselblad channels.
Opening December 2023, the biannual competition received a record-breaking 85,000 images. They were submitted by photographers worldwide, marking a 35% increase in entries compared to the 2021 competition. The winners are judged on their photographic ability, creativity as well as technique. They are chosen through a combination of public vote and a professional grand jury composed of internationally renowned photographers and imaging experts.
“Being a jury member for this year’s Hasselblad Masters competition has been an exciting and challenging process, as the high level of quality in submissions made selection difficult,” commented Stefan Jensen, photographer and curator at the Hasselblad Foundation and grand jury chair. “A word that comes to mind when looking at the winning contributions is sensemaking. All but one category featured photographs in their original definition—a subject in front of the camera. They range from documentary to staged images and collages. But what they have in common is that they are a reflection of reality. This competition’s photographers open doors for viewers to understand and make sense of their surroundings, demonstrating the strength of the photographic image in contemporary times.”
Hasselblad Masters 2023 Winners
Following are the 2023 winners in each category and what the judging panel had to say about them.
Landscape
Weimin Chu | China
Series: Tibetan Landscape from the Train Window
The images by Chu capture traditional landscapes integrated with modern developments in China. Chu creates a frame within a frame, connecting the carriage interior with the outside landscape. He invites us to journey alongside the photographer through landscapes and time.
Architecture
Tiina Itkonen | Finland
Series: Home
Itkonen’s series documents the traditional lives of Inuit hunters and their families, who live in small wooden houses in remote parts of East and North West Greenland. Furthermore, her images exemplify resilience and ingenuity in extreme conditions.
Portrait
Panji Indra Permana | Indonesia
Series: Bicycle Street Sellers of Jakarta
Permana’s project, The Cyclist Portrait, began in 2020, documenting Indonesia’s cycling trend during the Covid-19 pandemic. Initially focused on lifestyle portraits, it evolved to highlight those who rely on bicycles for their livelihoods, as well as those who sell them. Historically, bikes in Indonesia were a symbol of privilege, owned by officials, aristocrats and wealthy merchants. Through his work, Permana promotes a healthier lifestyle and a greener planet.
Art
Jan Pypers | Belgium
Series: Diorama
Pypers’ series explores human’s lost bond with nature, inspired by traditional dioramas and modern representation. What’s more, by blending reality with surrealism, Pypers creates images that evoke curiosity and intrigue. They urge reconnection with and respect for the natural world.
Street
Tom Pitts | United Kingdom
Series: The Commute
Pitts’s series captures the unspoken emotions of strangers in transit, photographed at bus stops in England. The artist captured moments that create a poignancy and narrative, essential to successful street photography.
Project // 21
Efraïm Baaijens | Netherlands
Series: Tiny Titans
Baaijens’s micro images capture the extraordinary beauty and detail of the insect world. Beautifully executed, we’re drawn into believing these insects have character and what they might be “thinking.”
2023 Grand Jury
- Stefan Jensen (Jury Chair) – Photographer and Curator at the Hasselblad Foundation
- Andy Saunders – Senior Vice President at Getty Images
- Anne Farrar – Assistant Managing Editor of Photography at National Geographic
- Aya Musa – Senior Curator at Foam
- Jianguo Feng – Professor, Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University
- Kirstie Johnstone – Creative Production Partner at AMV BBDO
- Maria Svarbova – Hasselblad Master 2018
- Marine Merindol – Global Director of Strategy and Operations at Magnum Photos
