May.11.2007
Kayo Ume (Honorable mention award winner 2000 and 2001) and Naoki Honjo (Honorable mention award winner 2004) have won the 32nd Kimura Ihei Commemorative Photography Award!
Kayo Ume, an Honorable mention award winner in 2000 and 2001, the 21st and 23rd competitions respectively, and Naoki Honjo, an Honorable mention award winner in 2004, the 27th competition, have won the 32nd Kimura Ihei Commemorative Photography Award held in 2006, sponsored by The Asahi Shimbun Company; the former for her photo book “umeme,” the latter for his photo book “small planet.”
The award ceremony was held at Tokyo Kaikan in Marunouchi, Tokyo on Monday, April 23. A certificate of merit, a medal, and a five hundred thousand yen prize were presented to each winner. At the ceremony, a delighted Kayo Ume said: “I’d like to express my thanks for being given a great prize like this. While I proceeded with my photography, a lot of people were kind enough to help me. Thank you very much.” Talking about his ambitions for the future, Naoki Honjo said : “Now I’m standing at the starting line in a true sense. I’ll do my best not to let you down.”
The award is given to new talent who obtain excellent results in the production and presentation of photography. It is considered to be the most authoritative prize in the field of photography, and can be compared to the Akutagawa Literary Award. We are all looking forward to seeing the further growth of the two award winners.
Kayo Ume
Naoki Honjo
Reception after the award ceremony
Naoki Honjo(left), Kayo Ume(right)
