Sony World Photography Awards 2021 have been announced and guess what? Dubai-based photographer, Mireia Vilaplana has won the national award for her stunning monochrome picture. A monochrome portrait of a girl with a painted face mask has become the winning image for the UAE. Here’s everything you must know.
Dubai-Based Photographer Mireia Vilaplana Won The Award For A Picture Of Her 9-year-old Daughter
Mireia Vilaplana, a Barcelona-born photographer, living in Dubai since 2016, featured the image of her 9-year-old daughter Clara in a series Masquerade, which has now won the award. She recruited her twin children as her subjects, dressing them in masks made of leaves, twigs and even toilet paper. The captivating series was shot in their garden during the lockdown.
Speaking about her achievement, Mireia said,
“Face masks have become, without a doubt, the symbol of the global pandemic affecting us all in 2020. This photographic series explores the symbolism of masks through the use of photography’s particular ability to describe a historical moment in a conceptual form.”
Well, if you are trying to comprehend how big of a deal this is, then you must know that the image was selected from more than 165,000 submissions. More than 50 countries participated in the competition this year.
More than 50 Countries Were A Part Of The Competition This Year
In terms of a winner, other National Awards 2021 winners include Prajwal Bhattarai, who has captured a volleyball game in the mountains of Nepal; Patrick Mueller, an American photographer whose unusual image of a dune and mountains was taken in Death Valley; and Saudi photographer Naif Albugami, whose highly stylised photoshoot features a man in silvery suit atop a broken-down car.
The overall winners in remaining competitions of Student, Youth, Open and Professional categories of the Sony World Photography Awards 2021 will be announced in April.
We are super proud of Mireia Vilaplana for winning this award.