The Board of Trustees of the W. Eugene Smith Memorial Fund announced that San Francisco-based American photographer Darcy Padilla has been awarded the prestigious 2010 W. Eugene Smith Grant for Humanistic Photography. The announcement was made during a reception last night at the Asia Society in New York. Ann Curry, News Anchor/Correspondent for NBC Today and Dateline, made the keynote presentation.
Ms. Padilla received the Grant for her essay, “The Julie Project,” an in-depth look at AIDS, poverty, and drugs in America. The project earned her a $30,000 Grant to continue her work exploring the human condition, and the struggles and triumphs, of everyday people.
“To be honored and recognized in Eugene Smith's name, I'm humbled,” explains Darcy Padilla. “We all learned through him, his work, his sacrifice, what he dedicated his life to.”
In addition, Mr. Kosuke Okahara, a photographer from Japan, living in Paris, France, was awarded a $5,000 Fellowship for his exceptional black-and-white essay, “Ibasyo,” which looks at the growing epidemic of teenage girls and self-inflicted injuries.
The two bodies of work were selected from more than 182 entries from 32 countries. The adjudication panel included Robert Pledge (President of Contact Press Images and Jury Chair for this year's panel), Daile Kaplan (Vice President and Director of Photographs, Swann Auction Galleries, NY), and Ed Burtynsky (Canadian fine art photographer), who spent two marathon sessions selecting eight finalists before determining the recipients of the Grant and Fellowship.
“The decision process was very challenging as the result of the large number of high quality submissions we received for the Grant,” explains Robert Pledge, the Chair of the 2010 jury. “Ms. Padilla's essay is extremely powerful and moving, and expresses deep concern about several major social issues affecting American society. In turn, Mr. Okahara's essay raises awareness about an alarming trend among teenage girls in Japan. The recipients both represent the very essence of W. Eugene Smith’s humanistic approach in photography, and of his lasting legacy,” added Mr. Pledge.
The W. Eugene Smith Memorial Fund is sponsored by the generous support of the American Society of Media Photographers (ASMP), the Open Society Foundations, Asia Society, Blurb, Inc., and Canon USA, with additional support from Photo District News.
