LOS ANGELES, April 16, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Saatchi Art, the Saatchi Gallery and Google+ are delighted to announce the winner of the first-ever Motion Photography Prize: Christina Rinaldi, whose entry in the "Urban" category won the overall prize.

The overall winner and finalists were selected by a jury including artists Tracey Emin, Shezad Dawood and Cindy Sherman, as well as filmmaker Baz Luhrmann. The 5 finalists are Kostas Agiannitis (Lifestyle), Matthew Clarke (Night), Emma Critchley (People), Micael Reynaud (Action), and Stefanie Schneider (Landscape).

View the top 6 works here: http://explore.saatchiart.com/motion-photography.

With the ubiquity of smartphones and rise in photo-sharing services, the world has recently exploded with photographers from all backgrounds who are embracing new technology to tell their stories in innovative ways, not least of all via motion photography.

In recognition of the exciting potential of this new technology, Saatchi Art, the Saatchi Gallery and Google+ launched the inaugural Motion Photography Prize, with photographers from all over the world celebrating this new creative art form.

Since the launch of the prize on February 5^th, more than 4,000 photographers – professional and amateur alike – submitted entries across 6 categories. Conceived as a way to recognize the motion photography as a "new art form for everyone," the prize awards 1 finalist from each category a showcase of their work on Saatchi Art and a special exhibition at the Saatchi Gallery in London, opening today. In addition, the overall winner Christina Rinaldi will have to opportunity to go on the trip of a lifetime with a photographer or filmmaker of her choice.

View a clip from the opening reception of the Motion Photography Prize exhibition at the Saatchi Gallery in London: http://youtu.be/SXslsJBA02o

About Saatchi Art
Saatchi Art is the world's leading online art gallery, connecting people with art and artists they love. Saatchi Art offers an unparalleled selection of paintings, drawings, sculpture and photography in a range of prices, and it provides artists from around the world with an expertly curated environment in which to exhibit and sell their work. Based in Los Angeles, Saatchi Art is redefining the experience of buying and selling art by making it easy, convenient and welcoming for both collectors and artists. www.saatchiart.com

About the Saatchi Gallery
The Saatchi Gallery was founded in 1985 with the aim of bringing contemporary art to as wide an audience as possible and make it accessible by providing an innovative platform for emerging artists to show their work. Over the last four years the Saatchi Gallery has hosted ten out of the top 15 most visited exhibitions in London, according to The Art Newspaper's survey of international museum attendance, and is also ranked amongst the world's top three most liked museums on Facebook and Twitter by Museum Analytics. The Saatchi Gallery's website has become a global meeting place for people interested in contemporary art. www.saatchigallery.com

About Google+
Google+ will be celebrating its third anniversary in June this year. There are currently 540 million users actively using the features of Google+ and 1.5 billion photos are uploaded to Google+ every week. It is currently the only platform on the web that is able to analyse uploaded photos, stabilize them and turn them into motion. www.plus.google.com

For more information, please email Nicole Garton at [email protected] or call +1 310/869-7797.

Media Contact: Nicole Garton
Tel: +1 310/869-7797
E-mail: [email protected]

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140416/75831

SOURCE Saatchi Art