CEWE presents the new jury of the CEWE Photo Award chaired by Michel Comte

In mid-May, the globally recognized photo competition – the CEWE Photo Award 2023 – started, once again supporting the SOS Children´s Villages worldwide. Last time a record number of more than 600,000 entries made the CEWE Photo Award 2021 the world´s largest photo competition. Europe´s leading photo finisher, CEWE, is again expecting a high number of participants and is now introducing the seven members of the diverse and international jury. Based on their well-founded photo expertise and their different perspectives, they will choose the most beautiful and best shots in the world from thousands of submitted photos in the summer of 2023. The world-renowned Swiss fashion and nature photographer Michel Comte, a legend of photography, will chair the event. Until May 2023, amateur and professional photographers have time to submit their best motifs to the internationally recognized photo competition.

“We are absolutely delighted that our CEWE Photo Award is going into the next round. Under the well-known motto 'Our world is beautiful', the photo competition is popular with professional and amateur photographers worldwide. After a record participation of over 600,000 submissions in the last competition, we are expecting a high number of participants again this time until the end of May 2023“, says Thomas Mehls, CEWE Board Member. “What is always particularly exciting for us is the composition of the top-class jury of internationally renowned photographers. With their individual expertise and view of the world, they shape the competition in a special way and thus inspire participants and the public.” Next year, the following seven jurors of the CEWE Photo Award 2023 will decide who makes it into the top 1,000 and can look forward to prizes with a total value of over 250,000 euros.

Michel Comte – photography superstar

Michel Comte takes over the chairmanship as President of the jury of the CEWE Photo Award for the first time. The Swiss gained fame as a fashion photographer: He worked for Karl Lagerfeld, Armani, Chloé and Versace, among others. The passionate mountaineer and aviator works in particular on the topics of climate change and glacier melt. He also photographs mountain landscapes all over the world from open helicopters, while paragliding or climbing, thus portraying the disappearance of glacier landscapes. But Comte also took photos in conflict zones and on behalf of the International Red Cross. His photographs can be seen in museums around the world.

Esther Horvath – behind the scenes of polar and marine research

Esther Horvath is a scientific photographer at the Alfred Wegener Institute, Bremerhaven, which specializes in the exploration of polar regions. Since 2015, Horvath has devoted herself to photography in the polar regions, documenting scientific expeditions and behind-the-scenes stories of science. In this way, the native Hungarian helps raise public awareness of these fragile environments. Her work has been published in National Geographic, The New York Times, GEO, Stern, TIME, and Audubon Magazine, among others.

Audun Rikardsen – nature photographer and biology professor

Growing up in a small fishing community in northern Norway, Audun Rikardsen has always been fascinated by the harsh landscape, culture and wildlife of the Arctic – both above and below the sea surface. Rikardsen is one of the most internationally awarded wildlife photographers of the past decade. As a Canon European Ambassador, his work and stories have been featured in National Geographics, GEO and BBC Magazine, among others. The nature photographer and professor of biology also integrates his photographs into his scientific work, creating a whole new kind of inspiration.

Dr. Christian Friege – photography as a cultural asset

As a member of the Management Board at CEWE Stiftung & Co. KGaA, Dr. Christian Friege has been in charge of the company's national and international sales since 2015. He has been CEO of the Neumüller CEWE Color Foundation since 2017. As patron of the CEWE Photo Awards, promoting photography as a cultural asset is very important to him.

Nora Schweitzer – journalist, photographer and adventuress

She combines various professional disciplines and is multicultural as a French, German and Moroccan. Nora Schweitzer began her professional career at AFP (Agence France Presse) and today works with renowned French media such as GEO, Le Figaro, Paris Match or L'Obs, where she publishes her photo reports. Fascinated by the Arab world and the Sahara, she has been traveling through Africa and the Middle East for about 20 years. At the age of 19 she crossed the Sahara alone for the first time, using all possible means of transport: hitchhiking, bus, bush taxi and canoe.

Lanna Idriss – commitment for the good cause

Lanna Idriss has held senior positions in the banking industry and was the managing director of Amnesty International Germany e.V.. In addition, she has also set up several charitable associations and social initiatives and campaigned for women and children from the Near and Middle East. Together with other women, the Hamburg native founded a network that focuses on the promotion of refugee cultural workers. She is also involved in several advisory boards and boards of educational and cultural institutions. Since February 2022 she has been a board member of SOS Children's Villages worldwide.

Christie Goodwin – photographer all around music

Christie Goodwin is part of the jury for the third time. When the London photographer's career began around 35 years ago, she initially mainly photographed fashion commissions, designed editorial articles and artistic projects – until she finally discovered the field of music photography for herself. Today, Christie Goodwin is a sought-after tour, concert and portrait photographer of great musicians. Artists such as Ed Sheeran, Katy Perry, Taylor Swift, Paul McCartney and Rod Stewart have all posed in front of her camera. Besides that, Goodwin is also the Official Photographer of the Royal Albert Hall, London.

Now is the chance to take part in the internationally recognized and globally popular CEWE Photo Award and do good at the same time: Photos that capture the beauty of the world can be submitted through to the end of May 2023. Until then, amateur and professional photographers have time to submit their best motifs to the world's largest photo competition. There are ten categories to choose from: "Landscapes", "People", "Nature", "Architecture and Technology", "Sport", "Cooking and Eating", "Hobby and Leisure", "Animals", "Travel and Culture" and "aerial photography". Each participant can submit up to 100 photos during this period. In addition, three monthly winners are chosen each month, each receiving a voucher for CEWE photo products worth 100 euros. A total of 1,000 prizes with a total value of 250,000 euros can be won. By the way: CEWE donates 10 cents to SOS Children's Villages worldwide for every photo submitted.

Take part in the competition: https://contest.cewe.de/cewephotoaward-2023/en_gb/