Belgian wins first prize in Metro Photo Challenge
The Belgian photographer Bernard Caelen, alias Irving S.T. Garp, wins the Metro Photo Challenge 2014 in the category ‘My Green City’. For the first time ever, a Belgian wins the first prize in the world's biggest photography competition. Caelen's photo was selected by an international jury as the best in a category dedicated to encouraging United Nations work around climate change.
The categories 'Magic of the city' and 'Escape from my city' were won by Brazilian Jankel Grubman and Swedish Malin Jochumesen respectively.
The 3 international winners go on a unique visit to New York, one of the world's most photographic cities. There, they will have a chance to meet Mayor Bloomberg and visit the United Nations headquarters. The photos taken during this trip will be publicised worldwide in Metro. As well as enjoying this unique experience, their photos will also receive international acclaim.
Bernard Caelen is 50 years old and works as an anatomist in the medical department of the Catholic University in Louvain (UCL). He submitted a photo entitled 'the seed of the brick'. “Photography is an exceptional art form, because you tell a whole story in one image, unlike an author who needs many pages and a film director who uses kilometres of film roll." explained the winner.