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Everybody Loves Lucie by Mark Lapin New York City hosts coveted awards that celebrate humanity, vision and deeper perspectives in photography. Article rating: 5.33

Founded just four ago years on large-hearted dreams and creative credit-card financing, the Lucie Awards have emerged as one of the classiest acts on the worldwide photography stage.  The dreams and the credit cards belonged to Hossein Farmani, a native of Iran who moved to the United States in his youth and has become an international impresario of photography with an unquenchable belief in the power of the image to transcend cultural boundaries, bring people together and promote worthy causes. 

This year, the Lucie Awards Gala will take place at Lincoln Center’s Avery Fisher Hall at 7:00 p.m. on October 15th.  The winning photographers receive a Lucie Statue (similar to the coveted Oscar or Emmy) as well as international exposure and the accolades of their peers.  Winners in select categories also take home substantial cash prizes.  In previous years celebrity photographers such as Brendan Fraser and Matthew Modine have hosted the Lucie Awards. This year¹s host will be Lili Taylor and a special congratulatory message to Howard Zieff from Jeff Bridges will be presented.  According to Mary Ann Lynch of Camera Arts Magazine, ‘With Photo New York and Photo Plus Expo also heating up the NYC scene in October, the Lucies round out a very potent triad of photographic events.’ 

The name "Lucie" derives from the Latin word ‘lux’ for light and was suggested by Susan Baraz, co-chair of the awards ceremony. ‘Lucie is a tribute to the influence that light plays in photography,’ says Farmani.  ‘The gala will be an evening full of beauty, passion and amazing human beings who have devoted their lives to photography.’  

And the winners are…
The Lucie advisory board has already announced 2007 honorees in the top categories. 
The winner of the Lifetime Achievement Award (given to an individual who has dedicated his/her entire life to the photographic craft) is Elliot Erwitt.  This year’s recipient of the Visionary Award (for a unique contribution to photography and the preservation of the art form either through education or the creation of a viable photography-related platform or institution) is Kenro Izu.  Other honorees include Philip Jones Griffiths for Photojournalism; Heinz Kluetmeier for Sports Photography; Eugene Richards for Documentary Photography; Lord Snowdon for Achievement in Portraiture, Deborah Turberville for Achievement in Fashion, Ralph Gibson for Achievement in Fine Art and Howard Zieff for Achievement in Advertising. 

International Photography Awards
The Lucie Gala is also the occasion for presenting the International Photography Awards (IPA), a prestigious competition open to professional and amateur, established and emerging photographers alike.  The IPA has a three-fold mission: to salute the achievements of the world's finest photographers, to discover emerging talent and to promote the appreciation of photography.  Winners are selected by a board of esteemed photo editors, curators, gallery owners, art directors and other luminaries from the international photography community. The International Photographer of the Year award includes not only a Lucie statue but also a $10,000 grand prize provided by atEDGE.  In an effort to cultivate and showcase emerging talent, all amateur photographers in the IPA competition are eligible for the Discovery of the Year Award, which includes a $5000 cash prize provided by Pilsner Urquell, the high-quality brewer which says ‘cheers’ to the photography community by sponsoring the Lucie Gala.

Two new additions to the 2007 program are the Deeper Perspective Award and the Spotlight Award.  The Deeper Perspective Award invites photographers to present the written story behind their images as part of their entry.  The winner receives a Lucie and a $5,000 prize, provided by Pilsner Urquell.  ‘Behind every photo is an interesting story and this award aims to recognize that link,’ commented Vinod Giri, International Brand Director of Pilsner Urquell.

Hasselblad is presenting the Spotlight Award to ‘celebrate the achievements of an individual, organization or corporation whose endeavors have significantly changed the landscape of photography.’  The inaugural Spotlight Award will go to Magnum Photos.  Celebrating its 60th anniversary this year, Magnum is a photographer-owned cooperative that has given professionals more clout and control over the way their images are distributed.

Globe-trotting exhibition and coffee-table book
The work of all first, second and third place winners will be published in a high-quality, full-color, hardcover International Photography Awards Book designed by FYI Design’s Paulina Hernandez.  Dr. Anthony Bannon (Director of George Eastman House) has curated the 2007 Best of Show exhibit.   Featuring 42 images from both the professional and non-professional pools of first, second, and third place winners, the  Best of Show exhibit will have an open-to-the-public debut at Splashlight Studios on Saturday, October 13.  Its next stop will be at the prestigious Farmani Gallery in Los Angeles. Plans call for the exhibit to travel to eight other countries in 2008, ensuring the greatest exposure for the winning photographs.  Globe-trotting visionary Hossein Farmani will be on hand to attend each opening. 

The Lucie Awards official media partner is PDN and Photo Plus International. Support is also provided by AtEDGE, BlackBook, Canon, Dr. Garber's Natural Solutions, Hasselblad, HP, Ilford, Kingston, Lensbabies, Photoflex, Splashlight, Wacom and Workbook.

The many facets of  Farmani
In addition to his work with the Lucies and the IPA Awards, the many-faceted Hossein Farmani is very well-known for founding Focus on AIDS (with a number of individuals, including Susan Baraz), a non-profit that has raised over $2.5 million for AIDS organizations through the auction of photographs.  He was co-chair of the Hollywood Film Festival and the founder a well-known fashion magazine called Vue.  He is the owner of the Farmani Gallery and a renowned collector of photography, including the world’s largest collections of images of Marilyn Monroe.

New Sponsorship announced for 2007
This year, the Lucie Awards have welcomed new sponsor HP.  HP is the exclusive printing sponsor of this year’s Splashlight Photo Booth and printing station at all Lucie Awards events.  The Splashlight Photo Booth will capture photos of attendees who will receive beautiful and enduring prints.  Photos will be printed on the spot at the Splashlight Photo Booth using the HP Photosmart Pro B9180 Photo Printer.

"HP is honored to be a sponsor of this year's Lucie Awards and to support the accomplishments of so many gifted photographers," said Tom Hubbard, pro photo business development manager, Imaging and Printing Group, HP. "From novices to pros, HP is committed to delivering the best printing experience for photographers, an experience attendees of this year's event will witness firsthand at the Splashlight Photo Booth."

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