The nominees for the 2024 ECCA-DMJX Photojournalism Award are…..

admin3 months ago on news

We are happy to announce the four projects nominated for the 2024 ECCA-DMJX Photojournalism Award. Each nominated project will receive 30,000 Danish Kroner and the main winner will receive additional 70,000 Danish Kroner. Each project will be presented and the main winner announced at an award ceremony at DMJX on Friday, August 30.

The nominated projects

Do You See, What I See
by Rikke Kjær Poulsen & Liv Møller Kastrup

Together with interviews, the images in the project portray the moods and feelings of different people while they were in the grip of psychosis. On the left it’s a portrait of 35-year old Line Persson and on the right it’s a collaborative illustration of her feelings while being in the grip of her psychosis. Rikke and Liv made their project for their final BA in the fall 2022 and they graduated in January 2023. Photos: Rikke Kjær Poulsen & Liv Møller Kastrup

“Liv M. Kastrup and Rikke Kjær Poulsen’s project shows the experiences of 11 people who deal with psychosis. The project combines personal stories with visual representations of their altered realities. This approach helps viewers understand how psychosis affects a person’s identity and perception. I have not seen this story be told in this way before and I would love to see where this can go. The images of the exhibition look inspiring and I hope it can be brought to life”.
– Ilvy Njiokiktjien, jury member and contributing photographer at VII Photo

With Nature on Our Side
by Marie Ruwet & Florine Schmid

The project unfolds in photos and text the life in the most remote village in Iceland. In the picture it’s the married couple Badda and Björn cleaning fish in front of their farm, Melar. Marie and Florine made the story during the magazine workshop at Photo 1 in the spring 2024. Photo: Marie Ruwet
Only 12 people live year round in the village of Árneshreppur on Iceland. In the continuation of project, Marie and Florine will visit the village during different seasons of the year.
Photo: Florine Schmid

“The story by Florine Schmid and Marie Ruwet about the connection between humans and nature really caught my eye. The calmness in their images resonated with me. This project emphasizes the importance of protecting the environment, which is more crucial now than ever. I hope they can share this work with more people with the help of the grant”.
– Ilvy Njiokiktjien, jury member and contributing photographer at VII Photo

Generation Climate
by Christian Falck Wolff

Greta Thunberg is one of those who have traveled to Lützerath to join the protests. She is arrested but receives surprisingly gentle treatment compared to others.
The project will cover how various young people around Europe in different ways take action and fight for the climate. The first chapters are from the towns of Lützerath and Grünheide in Germany. Christian made the story from Lützerath during his holiday in January 2023 and he graduated his BA in January 2024. Photo: Christian Falck Wolff

“Christian Falck Wolff’s Generation Climate project effectively shows the passion of young environmental activists. His photos capture the spirit of various movements and their urgent calls for action against climate change. This project has received attention before, and I believe it deserves to be highlighted again. It plays an important role in raising awareness about the climate crisis”.
– Ilvy Njiokiktjien, jury member and contributing photographer at VII Photo

Here, The Doors Don’t Know Me
by Mohamed Mahdy

Mohamed’s project is an interactive webpage, where he collaborates with the inhabitants from El Max, a fishing neighbourhood in Alexandria, Egypt in telling about the historical place before it will be demolished. Mohamed began the project prior to his study at DMJX, but during his time at the school in 2022, he added a story about Tamer and expanded the webpage with more archive material and handwritten letters.
Photo by Mohamed Mahdy and hand written text by Tamer

“I am really impressed by Mohamed Mahdy’s commitment to his project. His different storytelling methods beautifully capture the lives of the people he follows. It’s inspiring to see how much time and effort he puts into this important work, and I believe this grant could help him expand it”.
– Ilvy Njiokiktjien, jury member and contributing photographer at VII Photo

The Jury Process
17 projects were submitted for 2024 ECCA-DMJX Photojournalism Award. This is one more project than the previous 2022 edition of the award.

“I had hoped for more than 30 submissions”, Søren Pagter, Head of DMJX photojournalism programmes, says. “Nevertheless, the submitted projects covered many different topics and were well executed”.

“The high level of the applied applicants was fascinating. They are ready to pursue their careers. Most of the applicants nailed their projects with good access, deep understanding and fine visuals”, jury member and visual researcher Heba Khamis states.

Nine of the applications came from Danish students and eight from international students. 12 projects focussed on still images, while five wanted to tell their stories through video.

The five-people jury received and read the 17 applications prior to their online meeting that was held Friday, August 7. Based on the applications, each jury member selected their top-five candidates to be nominated. This resulted in a selection of 12 candidates that were selected by one or more jury members. These 12 projects were thoroughly looked through and debated at the jury meeting.

After almost two hours, the jury ended up with eight candidates and then the selection process became really difficult. Finally, after almost three hours, the nominees and the final winner were agreed on.

“I like the diversity among the winners, regarding the projects’  ideas, the approach and process of implementing, and the visual language. Each project has a different and unique identity. I also like how they team up together, two of the four winners are teams”.
– Heba Khamis, jury member and visual researcher

The five jury members were from top left:
Christian Algot Enevoldsen, Chairman, ECCA Family Foundation.
Heba Khamis, visual researcher, photographer and DMJX graduate.
Mads Greve, Associate Professor, DMJX photojournalism.
Ilvy Njiokiktjien, Contributing Photographer, VII Photo.
Søren Pagter, Head of DMJX photojournalism programmes.

The ECCA-DMJX Photojournalism Award is made in co-operation with and sponsored by The ECCA Family Foundation.
The Foundation states their reason for the grant support:
“We believe that this unique opportunity will unlock untold narratives, ignite crucial conversations, and propel emerging talents in the photojournalism landscape. Our partnership with DMJX over the past four years has provided us with first-hand access to a suite of compelling stories and projects that often remain in the shadows, as students and graduates frequently lack the resources and support needed to share their narratives. This award is more than just a recognition of these emerging talents; it’s a platform for amplifying voices that are frequently unheard”