Bored Panda reached out to Lily Fierman, Co-Founder and Director behind the 1839 Awards, and Alexandrena Parker, the 1st Place Overall Contest Winner with a photo series called “Unsupervised.”

First of all, we wanted to learn more about the origins of the 1839 Photography Awards and the inspiration behind its establishment.

Lily kindly answered: “The 1839 Awards were named after the year photography began to spread worldwide after its initial presentation to the public in Paris. The contest is designed to hold space for celebrating and honoring the art of photography, from fine art photography to those who get more conceptual and use photography as a starting point for their work. The 1839 Awards are one of three contests we offer. Additionally, we hold the Exposure One Awards for black and white photography and the reFocus Awards - our very first contest - which honors photography of all kinds.”

Lily also commented on criteria that are used to evaluate the submissions by judges.

“The judges' decision is based on the category and within the contest's framework. So, if the category is 'landscapes' in the 1839 Awards, there is a bit of creativity in the process and how they choose the landscapes that make it into the final round because the contest rewards those using photography as their medium of expression. For a contest like this that specifically looks for photographers exploring the art of the image, these definitions can become subjective in the best way possible. As for objectivity, we have judges from quite a few different backgrounds, so this provides a variety of opinions. We were very specific in who we asked, knowing that we needed different viewpoints to facilitate a contest that rewards all types of photography, subjects, and stories,” explained Lily.

Regarding the People's Vote Award, we asked Lily to describe the impact of the competition and how it influences the judges' final decisions.

Lily wrote: “The People's Vote Awards are separate from the juried competition; they have no impact on one another. It's yet another way photographers can get their work out into the world. The PVA portion of the competition happens after the jury has chosen the winners.”

Lily also shared which images have been the most memorable or groundbreaking from this year's competition and what made them stand out to the judges.

“It's hard to play favorites here! Admittedly, however, one of the best parts of what we do is seeing the images that come in. Some that stood out to me, personally, were 'Tiger' by Sofia Lopez Mañan, 'Bows and Ruffles' by Irene Baque de Puig, 'Val's Braids' by Johel Pereira, and Astrid Reischwitz's series, 'Spin Club Tapestry'."

We were also curious to know how Lily sees the role of photography evolving in the next decade and how the 1839 Photography Awards plan to adapt to these changes.

“Photography is only becoming more and more important. As the world changes, for better or worse, those documenting these changes or telling stories with their cameras allow us to understand what's happening around us. There are so many places many of us will never get to go, and we experience them through the work of others. We can't appreciate or love what we don't understand, and taking a photo allows us to understand. While getting caught up in the doomsday spiral of AI and big tech is easy to do these days, photography's power will never be diminished because it helps us bear witness or understand something complex in ways that can't be replicated through an algorithm. The person behind the camera and what they bring to each image is as important as the final photograph; we can't forget that!” shared Lily.

Lastly, Lily added: “If any of what we've said resonates with you, we'd love for you to join our community by entering your work. If you're not ready or don't want to enter a contest, we also have discounts on gear and other photo services for anyone who makes a profile, for free. However, if you are interested in entering a contest, we're about to open the 2024 Photographers of the Year Contest at the 1839 Awards and at Exposure One, and we currently have our 2024 Black & White Contest open at reFocus. We'd love to see your work!”

Alexandrena’s photo series has won multiple awards besides being the Overall Winner. It has also been awarded as Gold winner in the category Storytelling, Gold winner in the category Conceptual, and Bronze winner in the category People.

Alexandrena told us more about her photos and what inspired her to capture them.

“Children at play, alone, without any adult supervision is something that is simply not seen anymore. Between 1936-1972, Life Magazine, the first ‘all photographic’ news publication, was saturated with images of children playing freely on the streets.

Throughout this body of work, I felt compelled to highlight the simplicity and importance of childhood play in a modern world that is so screen-obsessed.

Set in the streets of Broken Hill, outback NSW, the scenes explore the relationship between the landscape past and present. The ‘set-like’ shop fronts pay homage to the past, giving the children a stage to authentically play. Does this scene really exist or has it been lost forever?”

“I created this series during a period when I felt creatively stuck. To break free from this rut, I decided to travel to a brand-new destination for a couple of days and create some personal work. I chose Broken Hill, a remote rural mining town in outback NSW, Australia, surrounded by vibrant red dirt. This was my first visit to Broken Hill, and I hoped it would reignite my passion for photography.

Initially, I planned to capture scenes including the striking red dirt of Broken Hill, but my research led me in a different direction. I became fascinated by the town's buildings and classic signage, which gave it a timeless feel. Inspired by the nostalgic look of the town, I decided to focus on capturing the essence of its streets and storefronts.

My goal was to create a series that I could proudly hang on my wall. To achieve this, I chose to photograph children not as traditional portraits but as elements of urbanscapes. I aimed for these images to evoke a sense of timelessness, reminiscent of the children featured in Life magazine from the 1920s to the 1960s, who were often depicted playing marbles, skipping, or simply hanging out on the streets unsupervised.”

“Upon arriving in Broken Hill, I connected with a local community member who helped put out a call on Facebook for children to participate. Sheridan Davey, a stylist, flew in from Sydney to bring the styling to life, and we sourced colorful outfits from local op shops. It was important to me that the images looked curated and considered, not documentary in style, which is why I emphasized vibrant colors.

Because I had never been to Broken Hill before, I didn't have specific photo locations planned until I arrived. The number of children who turned up at each location varied, resulting in some shots having more children than others. Despite these uncertainties, the series came together beautifully over the course of two days.”

We were wondering how Alexandrena approaches photography as an art form and what is her creative process when planning and capturing the shots.

The photographer shared: “I am primarily a commercial photographer by trade, but I regularly create personal photography work that has more of a conceptual, artistic approach. It is important for me to continuously create conceptual personal work to keep my love and passion for photography alive. When I embark on a personal art photography project I usually try to fulfill the following criteria:

1.To create work that ‘I’ would want to hang on my wall

2.To create something that is challenging, pushing me forward

3.To create something that says something about me, or comment on something that is important to me.

If I can achieve these three things when making personal work it feels like my own form of professional development.”

Alexandrena also shared what challenges she faced while capturing the winning photographs.

“I had never visited the location where I captured the series (Broken Hill) before, and it was about a 9-hour drive from where I live. Not knowing anyone there, I reached out to people through Facebook community pages to find children to participate in the photographs. Fortunately, I connected with a few locals who had contacts at the local primary school. I was never certain how many children would show up at each shoot location, which is why some photos have more children than others. I had only three full days in Broken Hill to scout locations, coordinate with the children, and capture the photos. The tight timeline was challenging but also forced me to stick to deadlines and make quick decisions,” wrote Alexandrena.

Winning such a prestigious award must be a significant milestone in any photographer’s career. Therefore, we asked Alexandrena to share how she plans to build on this achievement, and what we can expect to see from her in the future.

“Winning first place in the 1839 Awards was a tremendous honor, and I am deeply grateful to have my work recognized. My primary goal is to continue creating work that fulfills me and fuels my passion for photography. It gives me purpose, and I feel incredibly fortunate to have found such a meaningful pursuit in my life. I love producing photography that prompts people to question, think, or see things from a different perspective, and I will continue to create with this focus. Recently, I have also begun directing short films, which has significantly challenged and enhanced my storytelling abilities using this dynamic medium.”