(AGENPARL) – gio 13 luglio 2023 TERNA: PHOTOGRAPHERS TAKING PART IN THE “DRIVING ENERGY
AWARD 2023 – CONTEMPORARY PHOTOGRAPHY” HAVE MORE THAN
DOUBLED
Participants, from 18 to 89 years old, represent all the regions and provinces of Italy
There has been an increase in female participation in the award that has received the
Medal of the Presidency of the Italian Republic
Rome, 13 July 2023 – The 2023 edition of Driving Energy Award 2023 – Contemporary
Photography, run by Terna, has seen a record number of participants: 2,800 photographs
from 20 Italian regions and all 107 provinces, with the age of participants ranging from 18
to 89 years.
These are the figures marking the success of the second edition of the award and the
theme for this edition, “In praise of balance”, a key cultural concept and a fundamental
cornerstone of Terna’s mission, which sees it guaranteeing the balancing of energy
produced and consumed, 365 days a year, allowing optimal performance of the electricity
system and enabling the energy transition.
The submissions, more than twice those received last edition, represent one of the
broadest and most comprehensive artistic scenes of recent years in Italian photography,
not only demographically but also geographically. This ample and consistent participation,
in quantitative and qualitative terms, reveals a high-profile contemporary interpretation of
the theme for this award, which received the Medal of the Presidency of the Italian
Republic again this year.
The artistic response to the theme, In praise of balance, has been so broad and
articulated, reaching an average of 20 submissions per day over the 136 days of the
application period, offering a surprising picture of what balance means for Italians: a
dynamic concept, which is complex and in constant evolution, just like Terna’s operations.
The huge number of subjects captured, stylistic approaches employed and, last but not
least, the many topics handled through the works, are of unique creative and expressive
value.
The photographs of the 2,800 participants taking part in the Award are now under scrutiny
by the jury, chaired by Lorenza Bravetta, consultant in the field of photography and curator
for Photography, Film, and New Media at La Trienniale di Milano, is composed of Maria
ISC – Uso INTERNO / INTERNAL Use
Alicata, teacher and curator; Diane Dufour, editor and curator; Andrea Purgatori, journalist
and television writer; Francesco Zanot, curator and teacher; and Massimiliano Paolucci,
Director of External Relations, Institutional Affairs and Sustainability at Terna. The Driving
Energy Award 2023 establishes that the jury is supported not only by curator, Marco
Delogu, but also by an Executive Committee made up of Igor De Biasio and Giuseppina Di
Foggia, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Terna, respectively.
“The extraordinary level of participation this year is an important achievement, underlining
various aspects. One is certainly the strength of the theme, which has proved to be a great
creative inspiration for the photographic community. Then there is the involvement across
all of Italy. It is as if we asked the whole country “What is balance for you?”, and the whole
country replied, from the largest cities to the smallest urban centres. Then there is the
artistic value, demonstrated by the high quality of the works received. The data
encourages us to declare that the Driving Energy Award, in just two years, has established
itself as a point of reference for Italian photography”, stated Marco Delogu, curator of the
Award and Chairman of Azienda Speciale Palaexpo.
All of the award categories saw excellent participation: Senior (31 years and above) with
prize value of € 15,000, Youth (up to 30 years) with prize value of € 5,000, Amateur (open
to those who are neither “professionals” nor “authors”) with prize value of € 5,000, Art
Academy Special Commendation (dedicated to students enrolled at higher-education
institutions in the field of photography) with prize value of € 2,000 and Terna’s Highest
Voted Work with prize value of € 2,000, which will be awarded by the “largest jury in Italy”,
made up of 5,600 Terna people.
In the Youth category, there is a notably high level of female participation, at 57% of the
total, confirming Terna’s commitment to the theme of gender inclusivity and the desire to
further promote future generations of artists.
The Honorary Committee – composed of winners of the previous edition, Paolo Ventura,
Gaia Renis, Mohamed Keita, Eva Frapiccini and Andrea Botto – is now evaluating the
works submitted for the Art Academy Special Commendation, in order to identify a young
winner to whom the 2022 winners will hand over.
The 40 photographs selected as finalists, including the winning works, will be presented in
a free exhibition at Palazzo delle Esposizioni in Rome, from 26 September, the day on
which the five winners will be announced, until 15 October. The works will also be
published in the fourth edition of the Driving Energy photographic volume, as the official
catalogue for the Award.
All the information on the next stages of the Award are available on the official
website https://premiodrivingenergy.terna.it/en/.
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