Fresh M.I.L.K. Photography Competition Winner

Fresh M.I.L.K. Photography Competition Winners Announced

The winners of the Fresh M.I.L.K. international photography competition were announced today by publisher PQ Blackwell Ltd. After receiving nearly 35,000 entries from photographers in 112 countries, a judging panel has selected 150 general winners, and eminent Magnum photographer and Chief Judge Elliott Erwitt has selected the Grand Prize winner.

Fresh M.I.L.K. was a US$125,000 online competition that challengedphotographers to capture spontaneous and emotive moments sharedbetween friends, families and lovers around the world. Fresh M.I.L.K.marks the tenth anniversary of the original M.I.L.K. (Moments ofIntimacy, Laughter and Kinship) competition, which ran worldwidein 1999. The highly acclaimed winning images were exhibited at venuesaround the world including New York's Grand Central Terminal,Sydney's Opera House and London's Science Museum, and the M.I.L.K.books have sold more than three million copies in ten languages.

M.I.L.K. creator Geoff Blackwell commented, "We announced theFresh M.I.L.K. competition in August 2008, and in contrast to theoriginal competition we conducted it entirely via the World Wide Web.Having been almost ten years since we fi rst launched M.I.L.K., it waswith considerable anticipation that we downloaded the fi rst batch ofimages in January 2009, and began the judging process. Unlike theentries received a decade ago, there could be no lovingly stitched clothpackages and extraordinary stamps from diverse parts of the planet.But they came to us packaged in different ways, wrapped in words,seeming to carry with them the subtle fragrance of people and placesclose by and far away."

Victoria Vaisvilaite Skirutiene

Fresh M.I.L.K. Photography Competition Winners AnnouncedVictoria Vaisvilaite Skirutiene from Lithuania was chosen by ElliottErwitt as the Grand Prize winner. Erwitt commented, "A US$50,000award is a real responsibility. I looked over the pictures again and again.I kept whittling down the candidates to about ten, then I chose thethree that speak to me personally, and fi nally I chose the one amongthem that is the best and most dynamic picture."Skirutiene's response to the news of her success: "My family and Iare all so thrilled. Photography is such a big passion of mine and thisappreciation is so signifi cant for me."

Fresh M.I.L.K. Photography Competition Grand Prize Winner - Victoria Vaisvilaite Skirutiene
Fresh M.I.L.K. Project Manager, Auckland, New Zealand
Tel. +64 9 300 9955 Fax +64 9 300 9959
www.milkphotos.com

The 150 winningimages will bepublished in a newbook entitled Fresh Milk- Friendship, Family,Love & Laughterin November 2009.