And the winner of the ICON Martell de Cordon Bleu 2013 is …

The winner of the coveted ICON de Martell Cordon Bleu 2013 was announced at an award ceremony at the Chan Hampe Galleries last evening. The evening belonged to the young but highly regarded Sarah Choo who picked up the top prize which carries a cash prize of $30,000. Along with the top prize, two Discernment Awards each worth $8,000 were also given out, with Sim Chi Yin and Darren Soh picking them up. A Eternal Discovery Award worth $1,000 plus a bottle of Martell Cordon Bleu was also presented to Sim Chi Yin for having the most number of public online votes.

Sarah Choo speaking after receiving the award.

The award which recognises the top photographer in Singapore, is one which is decided on by a jury made up of both international and local members presided by Madame Agnes de Gouvion Saint-Cyr Sarah, a photography curator. Also on the jury is Mr Gueorgui Pinkhassov, a Magnum Photographer; Ms Emmeline Yong, Partner, Objetcifs Centre for Photography and Filmmaking; Mr Venka Purushothaman, Provost, LASALLE College of the Arts; and Ms Charmaine Leung, Marketing Director, Pernod Ricard, Singapore.

Sim Chi Yin and Darren Soh who picked up the Discernment Awards.

Speaking at the ceremony, Madame de Gouvion Saint-Cyr explained the decision which was made by the jury after a long debate. It was felt that Sarah Choo’s works “masterfully addresses the theme of solitude with her multidisciplinary approach of photography.” She also added that Sarah’s series on teenagers suffering from anorexia and eating disorders, work which she is not able to show publicly out of respect of privacy for those she photographed, “displays a very accurate use of the photographic medium based on strong pictorial know-how such as a sense of composition, framing and the use of light”.

Madame Agnes de Gouvion Saint-Cyr.

Besides the cash prize, the winner Sarah Choo also wins an organised trip to a photography festival of her choice in France which will present her with an opportunity to network with galleries, curators and agents based in Europe.

The winners with the members of the jury.

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The ICON de Martell Cordon Bleu 2012 Award

The Martell Cordon Bleu Heritage exhibition to mark the 100th anniversary of the celebrated name in Cognac and the ICON de Martell Cordon Bleu 2012 Photography exhibition drew to a close this evening. The closing of the exhibition at the Timeless Capsule , a temporary art gallery outside ION Orchard, also saw an awards ceremony during with the winners of the ICON de Martell Cordon Bleu 2012 awards were unveiled. Besides the top prize which was won by Edwin Koo, there were Discernment Awards given out to two photographers, Jeremy San and Ernest Goh and for the first time, an Eternal Discovery Prize based on public voting created for the centenary celebration, awarded to Wesley Loh. The title prize brings with it $30,000 in cash, a trip to Cognac, France and the chance to publish a photography book of his works, the Discernment Awards carries a cash prize of $8,000 each, while the Eternal Discovery Prize is worth $1,000 and an exclusive Centenary Limited Edition set of Martell Cordon Bleu.

Edwin Koo came prepared with a speech …

The winners were selected from nine nominees and picked by a jury of international and local judges who looked at the strength of the photographer’s portfolio, a body of work that shows a coherent vision, unique points of view as well as skillful and well-developed artistic expression. This year’s jury consists of Madame Agnes de Gouvion Saint-Cyr, photography curator and writer; Mr Ian Berry, Magnum Photographer; Ms Emmeline Yong, Partner, Objectifs Centre for Photography and Filmmaking; Ms Bridget Tracy Tan, Director, Institute of Southeast Asian Arts & Art Galleries, Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts and Ms Charmaine Leung, Director of Marketing, Pernod Ricard Singapore.

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About ICON de Martell Cordon Bleu

Organised by Pernod Ricard Singapore, ICON de Martell Cordon Bleu is an annual photography award that recognises Singapore’s most outstanding photographer. As part of Martell Cordon Bleu’s centenary celebrations and to pay homage to this celebrated cognac that has given its name to the award, ICON de Martell Cordon Bleu 2012 was organised around the centenary theme of Eternal Discovery. New elements were introduced to the third edition of ICON de Martell Cordon Bleu.

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About the winner Edwin Koo’s portfolio

Edwin Koo (image provided by ICON de Martell Cordon Bleu).

Edwin Koo’s three series, Dreaming of Phayul, Paradise Lost and We Would Be Heroes, shares an overarching theme of “A Strange Place Called Home”, where the concept of home and homeland is explored. Dreaming of Phayul examines the hopes and dreams of Tibetan exiles yearning for a “fatherland” that is no longer theirs, while Paradise Lost, set against the backdrop of the Swat Valley in Pakistan, is an investigation into the notion of physical paradise as home. Meanwhile, We Would Be Heroes dwells on the heroic ambitions of young Nepali men and women to free their homeland from feudalism, only to end up estranged from home as the civil war ended.

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A selection of Edwin Koo’s works (images provided by ICON de Martell Cordon Bleu):