CPOY photo festival recognizes award-winning work from prominent photographers across the globe
The pictures were truly worth a thousand words at the 78th annual College Photographer of the Year (CPOY) contest hosted by the Missouri School of Journalism on Sept. 6. The competition was founded in 1945 by Cliff and Vi Edom, who coined the term ‘photojournalism’ and started the first official photojournalism department at MU. This contest is recognized as the world’s largest collegiate photojournalism competition, with about 600 students from nearly 50 countries around the world submitting their work in hopes of being selected.
Hosting the CPOY Photo Festival at MU is especially meaningful because journalism students and faculty have the privilege of firsthand access to the accounts of photographers and journalists renowned in their field.
“We’ve made a stronger commitment to having local events here because it’s important for students to have a connection with the photographers and the journalists,” Lynden Steele, director of photojournalism at the Reynolds Journalism Institute, said. “That happens in a more significant way when it’s right in front of you. What I’ve learned with working with international journalists is that they love coming to Missouri because it’s real and we’re authentic. When they meet the students, they’re really impressed and they have this genuine connection.”
The first showcase featured work from two-time College Photographer of the Year Vincent Alban, whose portfolio, “Keeping Them Alive” was centered around gun violence in Rochester, N.Y. Alban is the first person in 60 years to win the CPOY award back-to-back. Alban’s photos are creative, intuitive and spark emotion in the viewer. He worked very closely with his subjects, which he feels is an essential component of long-form photojournalism since time is needed to capture such intimate shots. Alban cemented about three families in history – producing powerful images of their daily struggles living amongst the tragedies of gun violence. He wanted to focus on the parents of these families specifically – portraying their personalities and characters as they raised their kids amid a threatening community. As well as providing a glimpse into the daily lives of Rochester residents, grief and honor of lost loved ones was beautifully portrayed in Alban’s photos. In a powerful Q&A response, Alban asserted that his goal during the project was to “make things that weren’t a picture a picture” and “show that these were actual people suffering from violence in their communities, not just statistics.” An important aspect of journalism in general is to give a voice to the voiceless and generate social empathy, both of which Alban succeeded in with his award-winning portfolio.
The second showcase included thought-provoking photos of the human-elephant conflict in Sri Lanka, taken by Italian photojournalist Federico Borella. He set the scene for his work by presenting a series of jarring videos that showed the increasingly violent encounters between humans and elephants. One particular video depicted the inhumane treatment of a chained elephant being taunted by humans, leading the elephant to destroy a stone archway. This scene forces the viewer to reflect on animal cruelty and to consider the implications of the battle between humans and elephants trying to coexist in the same habitat.
A notable aspect of Borella’s work for this portfolio was his black and white photos. This choice gives significant meaning to his photos as it gives the viewers the impression that color is not the most important matter at hand. Instead, the viewer is forced to contemplate the line Sri Lankans must walk between animal cruelty and the drive of human survival. The videos and photographs prove that this conflict is more serious than many of us may realize, if we were even aware of it, and deserves global recognition and representation.
The final showcase highlighted the loss of 19 children and two teachers during the Robb Elementary School shooting in Uvalde, Texas. Presented by photojournalist Tamir Kalifa and the mother of Uvalde victim Lexi Mata-Rubio, Kimberly Mata-Rubio. This showcase reduced many in the room to tears within minutes, as Kalifa and Mata-Rubio together delivered a powerful speech alongside Kalifa’s photo slideshow. The audience was instantly propelled into the shoes of those who lost loved ones. The photos themselves were extremely intimate and displayed a strong use of color, composition and storytelling. A couple highlights include a photo of Mata-Rubio and her oldest daughter laying at Lexi’s grave, a children’s notebook pierced by bullet holes and a wide shot of Mata-Rubio standing underneath a rainbow that she believed Lexi put into the sky “because she didn’t want her mom to be sad.” The combination of Mata-Rubio’s story alongside Kalifa’s photos sparked a deep emotional reaction within viewers. Kalifa and Mata-Rubio shared a story that encapsulated the unfathomable tragedy of losing a loved one because of a solely American horror. While a story that some may not want to hear, the Uvalde narrative elicited a rich sense of empathy and compelled the audience to incite change regarding gun violence.
Overall, the CPOY experience lingers in the mind as one grapples with the grit and talent of the photojournalists against an underlying sense of sorrow for the raw truth of the stories that were told. The bottom line remains that all stories have the right to be told, and should be told, no matter how uncomfortable or somber they may be. The festival was a valuable experience for anyone who enjoys photography.
Photojournalism is an impactful form of reporting on various issues and events around the world, and viewing such photography is an exceptionally rewarding experience.
“I think when you take the time to look at a specific picture, there’s a relationship that is created between the viewer and the picture, and that is very powerful,” Steele said. “That relationship allows the viewer to hold on to that one picture and reflect on the story of that image, and through that time and that reflection, we see empathy. A stranger who knows nothing about that person or that story can have empathy for them.”
Edited by Molly Levine | mlevine@themaneater.com
Copy Edited by Chase Pray and Emma Short | eshort@themaneater.com
Edited by Emily Skidmore | eskidmore@themaneater.com