Craig Easton and Cristina de Middel Win the First Edition of FCBarcelona Photo Awards

BARCELONA, Spain, April 13, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Scottish photographer Craig Easton (Photo Award) and Spanish artist Cristina de Middel (Project Award) have been chosen as the winners of the first edition of the FCBarcelona Photo Awards, selected by the internationally acclaimed Jury, Vicente Todolí, Azu Nwagbogu, Sandra Phillips, Ayperi Karabuda Ecer, Christopher Anderson, and Stephen Mayes.

The works focus on the positive values of sport and express the contribution of sport to the current society.

The internationally renowned jury considered the winning project, "Positive, but with a touch of irony, which becomes a universal symbol of sport in a very cheerful creative process".

As for the winning photograph, the jury admired, "The sensitivity of the photo and its relevance to the issues of migration in today's society, as well as additional creativity to focus on the autobiographical story of the protagonists in an unconventional way."

The award ceremony for the FC Barcelona Photo Awards will take place at the end of June, together with the inauguration of the exposition that the Club is organising with the winning and finalists' photographs.

The project will run from May to December 2017 and will be exhibited in 2018, alongside the winning photos of the category Photo Awards of the next edition of the Prizes.

Craig Easton and the story of Arshia

Craig Easton has won a number of Awards, including the Cutty Sark Award Travel Photographer of the Year 2013. His work is linked with documentary tradition, and is known for its capacity to combine landscapes with intimate portraits.

The winning image shows Arshia, a 16 years old Iranian asylum seeker living in Liverpool, in anticipation of his refugee status assessment. Football helps him to gain friends and feel accepted, the story of which he tells in the handwritten text in Farsi, presented next to his portrait.

Cristina de Middel and the 'Variations on the Podium' project

Cristina De Middel has exhibited her work in Les Rencontres de la Photographie d´Arles and PHotoEspaña among other fairs and galleries around the world. In 2013 she received the Infinity Award from the International Center of Photography in New York for the best publication, and became a finalist of the Deutsche Börse photography prize.

Cristina´s project Variations on the Podium explores the idea, form, connotations and history of the "podium" concept. Through this exploration the work reflects on the paradox of sports, where the balance between self-improvement and professional competition is fundamental.

SOURCE FC Barcelona