Embassy News & Events
22 January 2008
American Visions Photo Contest Winners
On Tuesday, the United States Embassy in London held an awards ceremony for the winners of its American Visions photo contest. The contest invited those who received visas to travel to the United States during summer 2007 to submit images that captured for them a sense of the spirit, culture or values of the United States and the American people. The extremely varied entries captured the geographic and cultural diversity of the United States. The countries of origin of the winners also evidenced the international nature of the Embassy's work.
U.S. Embassy Assistant Cultural Attaché Chris Dunnett presents the First Prize to Priscila Perianez McBride for her moving photo “Strong Nation” of a 9/11 memorial overlooking the altered New York City skyline.
The Winners
 |
The winners of the American Visions Photo Contest (L-R):
First Prize - Priscila Perianez McBride
Second Prize - Casey Crafford (represented by his sister Chantelle Crafford)
Third Prize - Ester Aparici Vilar |
The Photos
Note: full-size images are available for download further down the page. Please provide credit to the authors as appropriate.
 First Prize of £300 sponsored by Cosmos Tourama was awarded to Priscila Perianez McBride, a native of Brazil now living in West Kensington, London, for her moving image of a September 11th memorial overlooking the changed New York City skyline. Describing the photo taken on her first visit to the United States, McBride said: "I believe this picture shows the mix feelings that is in the air in the U.S. Lots of people, different cultures, and the memory of sad days that are being transformed in hope and dedication for a better future."
|
 Second Prize of £150 sponsored by the tourism bureaus of Kansas and Oklahoma went to Casey Crafford, who recently returned to his native South Africa after living in London. About his photo taken at a baseball game in San Diego, California, Casey said: "As a South African it was the first time I had ever attended a baseball game. To me there is nothing more powerful than a nation being unified by sport, and that afternoon spent cheering on the Padres allowed me a glimpse into part of the American culture."
|
 Third Prize of a digital camera provided by the U.S. Embassy was awarded to Ester Aparici Vilar of Costur, Spain for her striking photo Past and Modernity showing a statue of George Washington, Robert Morris and Hyam Salomon backed by the majestic Marina Towers in Chicago, Illinois. Morris, born in England, and Salomon, a Jewish immigrant from Poland, were important financial supporters of Washington's colonial army during the American Revolution. For first-time U.S. visitor Ester the scene captured that the relatively young United States is a place where the past and modernity go hand in hand.
|
The winning photos along with some honorable mention selections are published in the current issue of Essentially America magazine, the UK's only magazine dedicated to North American travel and tourism. The U.S. Embassy plans to repeat the contest in summer 2008 with the continued support of Visit USA and its member companies.
All Pictures & Full-size Downloads
Please note that the images below have been resized a width of 800 pixels. Links to the full-size images are underneath each picture's details:
The Winners |
|
|
|
First Prize
“Strong Nation”
Priscila Perianez McBride
West Kensington, London
[View full-size 3.5Mb] |
Second Prize
“San Diego Baseball Game”
Casey Crawfford
South Africa (formerly of Hammersmith, London)
[View full-size 370Kb]
|
Third Prize
“Past and Modernity”
Ester Aparici Vilar
From Costur, Spain living in Cambridge
[View full-size 3.8Mb]
|
| |
Honourable Mentions & Essentially America Magazine Editor's Choice |
 |
 |
 |
Honorable Mention
“F.D.N.Y.”
Catherine Lucas
Ripon, Yorkshire
[View full-size 1.1Mb]
|
Honorable Mention
“Lake Eloise, Florida”
Paul Bridgland
Guildford
[View full-size 2.3Mb] |
Editor's Choice
Essentially America Magazine
“Lady Liberty”
Ms. Kang Cheng Ang (Jennifer)
From Malaysia studying at University of Southampton
[View full-size 1.9Mb] |
|
Embassy News & Events
