Printing and Framing Company Picanova Chooses Winner of “Top 100 Photography Award” in Cologne, Germany

Picanova, one of the largest producers of custom wall decorations, printing, and framing in the world, recently chose the winners of their international contest, The Top 100 Photography Award. More than 10,000 photos from 15 countries around the world were submitted for the first edition of the award at Photokina.

First place went to “Lean on me” by Laura Zalenga from Munich. Second and third places went to Michael Jaster with “Rosa Flamingo” and Carsten Schröder with “Firefighter” respectively. The first, second and third place winners received prizes worth 10,000, 6,000 and 4,000 Euros respectively, with prizes worth 500,000 Euros awarded to participants.

First place winner, Laura Zalenga, has been an independent portrait artist since 2014. She impressed the jury with her winning picture “Lean on me” (taken with a Sony α7R II). The photo is part of a project where the artist reinterprets existing pictures from her portfolio. “I am very happy about the first place and the attention my photo gets from the exhibition at Photokina. This is a great opportunity to make my photography even better known,” says Zalenga.

Second-placed Michael Jaster from Düsseldorf has been closely associated with photography since 1975. His photo “Rosa Flamingo” was taken during a holiday stay on Fuerteventura with a Nikon D800/70-200. “We were in a beautiful park and were surprised by passing flamingos. Sometimes you need a little luck with the motives!”

Carsten Schröder, who finished third with his photo, has been taking pictures since his early childhood and has already received numerous awards for his work. This specific piece, “Firefighter,” taken with a Fuji X-T2, was produced during a workshop at Saarbrücken Airport. “The photo was taken during the blue hour. It shows a panther of the airport fire brigade “throwing the water cannon at the right moment.” – GM