10 Photography Competition Winners from December
Sally Mann, Will Saunders, Felicia Simion, Maggie Shannon + more
For the editors of Feature Shoot, photography awards offer a wellspring of inspiration, helping us to discover up-and-coming photographers telling stories we’ve never heard or seen before. Following competitions and seeing what the jurors choose helps us keep our finger on the pulse of what’s happening in the community. In recent years, we’ve been glad to see newer competitions crop up to join our established favorites, broadening the conversation and expanding our horizons.
Every month, we put together a roundup of competition winners that caught our eye, from the big name awards to the open competitions. We hope they’ll provide insight into what today’s photo editors, curators, and publishers look for in photography submissions, no matter your level of experience, genre, or niche. From unexpected drone views and spectacular displays of natural phenomena to intimate family stories and unforgettable documentary series, December’s award winners opened our eyes and ignited our imaginations.
Cheryle St. Onge wins the Bob & Diane Fund Grant
Cheryle St. Onge, whose mother has recently passed away of vascular dementia, has won the Bob & Diane Fund grant for their collaborative project Calling the Birds Home. “In my mother’s earlier life, she was a painter and then in the final decades she began to carve birds,” the artist says. “A carving would begin with her vast knowledge of birds, her research and then whittling away at chunks of wood. My mother would eventually offer up an exquisite painted chickadee or barred owl, life-size and life-like.
“I began to photograph her with any camera in reach—an iPhone or an 8x10 view camera—as a distraction from watching her fade away, as a counterbalance to conversation with her about death, as a means to capture the ephemeral nature of the moment and of life. I needed happiness and light, and to share the images with others I love.” Established in 2016, the Bob & Diane Fund grant is a yearly photography grant supporting visual storytelling about Alzheimer's and dementia. They provide $5,000 in funding.