Jurors Statement

I was thrilled by the quality of the work submitted for this national competition. It was by far the finest work I've ever judged. In fact, it was extremely difficult for me to narrow my selection down to the 22 photographers. In the end I chose work that I felt showed a consistency of vision and freshness of point of view. Congratulations to everyone involved! You should have a beautiful exhibition.

Warmly,
Joyce

About the Juror
Joyce Tenneson is one of the most respected photographers of our time and has been described by critics as "one of America's most interesting portrayers of the human character." Tenneson believes, "Through a person's face we can potentially see everything - the history and depth of a person's life as well as their connection to a universal spirituality." Tenneson's seventh book, Wise Women, a current best seller, celebrates the third phase of the female life cycle.

After completing Wise Women, Tenneson found herself drawn to flowers, a subject that has long held her fascination. Building on her recent experiences, she approached flowers with a new insight: recognizing every phase of their life was fascinating, if we just stopped long enough to really see it. Every day the flowers showed different aspects of their personality as they unfolded, bloomed, and withered on their way from birth to death. Tenneson photographed the blossoms long after they would have been discarded from the vase, discovering extraordinary beauty in their demise. The book, "Flower Portraits, the Life Cycle of Beauty", is a visual testimony of Tenneson's latest exploration.

She was named "One of the Ten Most Influential Women Photographers in the History of Photography," in American Photo Magazine's recent poll. Her work has graced the magazine covers of Time, Life, Entertainment Weekly, Newsweek, Premier, Esquire, and New York Times Magazine. Tenneson's photographs are exhibited in galleries around the world and are housed in many museums and private collections. She is much in demand as an inspirational lecturer and workshop instructor. Joyce is also the founder of Light Warriors, a mentorship program that helps emerging artists to establish their careers. Tenneson lives and works in New York City.

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