This year’s finalists in the most prestigious competition in food photography will be exhibited at The Royal Photographic Society in Bristol, one of the oldest photographic societies in the world, from 19 November to 11 December. The full cultural range of the depiction of food in society will be on display across more than 25 categories.

Over the years, as well as being consumed, food has also been photographed. Food photography might not appear in the history books, but it has existed since the early 1800s. Considered until recently as basic and unworthy of artistic merit, it has now been put on a par with major projects by the Pink Lady® Food Photographer competition. Founded in 2011 by its director Caroline Kenyon and her team at The Food Awards Company, the award was born from the desire to see the food photography sector given the recognition it deserves. In our consumer culture, food around the world is much more than just sustenance.

For the 11th consecutive year, the prestigious international award for food photography and film, The Pink Lady Food Photographer, offers a visual feast of 226 photographs selected from thousands of entries submitted by amateur and professional photographers from 60 different countries. 

According to the director, “no celebration is complete without food at its heart, and that is true for all cultures around the world. I like to see the similarities and differences between the many wonderful images submitted. Champagne Taittinger has been a partner of this joyful award since the beginning, and it is fantastic that Vitalie Taittinger is part of our judging panel”.In 2022, the award for the Champagne Taittinger Food for Celebration category went to the photographer Chen Ying for a shot entitled “Traditional Skill”, showing a Chinese family preparing special dishes designed to be enjoyed at New Year. The family, from Qianlian Village, in Fujian Province, are making rice or mung bean filled dumplings, which they stamp with Chinese characters meaning “fortune” or “happiness” before steaming them.

Some of the categories also pay homage to icons of photography, like the Claire Aho Award, named after the famous Finnish photographer who died in 2015. This award was created to encourage women’s photography and was won this year by the South African Marguerite Oelofse for “At The Table”. This work “is a celebration of the fruits of our freedom”, according to the winner.

From styled food for magazines to images of families eating together in celebration of religious festivals, from depictions of the realities of food production to food growing in its natural setting, the twenty or so categories in the competition represent the huge diversity of approaches to food. These pictures, with their high technical and narrative quality, are among the best and most innovative examples of food photography in the world. The exhibition shows the complex development of food photography over time and its changing connection to our society.

In 2023, a new category, Pink Lady® Moments of Joy, will be created for images showing the joy experienced through food, whether related to growing, preparing and cooking food, or serving and eating it. If you want to take part in the 2023 competition, entries can be submitted from now until 5 February 2023 at www.pinkladyfoodphotographeroftheyear.com

Text : Amélie Cabon
First image : Isabelle Hattink