During the 13 years of its existence, around 1,000 businesses have entered more than 1,000 projects for this arts sponsoring award in Lower Austria. Some 22 million euros have been raised by Lower-Austrian businesses for the submitted projects in arts and cultural sponsoring since 2001.
Category I focuses on arts sponsoring by small and medium-sized businesses (up to 100 employees). The Maecenas 2013 was awarded to Edition Lammerhuber for endowing the Lammerhuber Photography Award.
The Lammerhuber Photography Award was presented for the first time this year at the 3rd Lumix Festival for young photojournalists, which ran from 13 to 17 June and attracted more than 30,000 visitors.
The Lammerhuber Photography Award underlines the philosophy behind the Lumix Festival that engaging with all facets of life is the task of photojournalism with a humanist outlook. It honours the photo reportage that tells an everyday story most strikingly.
The award is worth 5,000 euros and went to US photographer Christopher Capozziello (32) for his poignant reportage The Distance Between Us about his twin brother, who suffers from cerebral palsy.
A jury of masters in the art, headed by Magnum photographer Thomas Höpker and GEO picture editor Ruth Eichhorn said of their decision, “Christopher Capozziello accompanied his seriously ill twin brother with his camera through the last ten years. It is a highly risky endeavour to keep taking pictures of someone in your closest circle. Christopher Capozziello has made use of the closeness and convinced the jury with his photographic stance and his skill. Sensitive as well as disturbing photographs come together in a touching, almost tender portrait. A portrait free from gestures of concern because it maintains a respectful distance. A strong photographic work that touched the jury to the core.”
The same reasons that convinced the jury decided Lois and Silvia Lammerhuber to publish this work in book form. The Distance Between Us was presented to the public at the Frankfurt Book Fair 2013. And just a few weeks later, on 15 November 2013, the volume was awarded the German Photo Book Award in Stuttgart.
Chris Capozziello’s photographs are also on show at Freelens Galerie in Hamburg, Steinhöft 5, until 16.01.2014, from Monday to Friday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.