Potato Photographer of the Year

Following the media frenzy that accompanied the 2020 Potato Photographer of the Year Award, organizers once again called on the spud-loving creatives of the world to raid their gardens and local supermarkets, grab their cameras and join them in elevating the humble potato to even greater levels of artistic relevance.

The competition was inspired by acclaimed photographer Kevin Abosch’s image of a potato which sold for $1million in 2016. This magnificent photograph confirmed the appetite for potato-based art.

The overall winner is: Fish & Chips by William Ropp

William Ropp:

"This was a challenge from a friend who after following art school courses ended up as a potato seller."

Amy D’Agorne a judge:
 

"There's something extremely wonderful and weird about this work. The amalgamation of vegetables and animals creates a strange portrait of the everyday food we consume. The fact that the image was taken on a polaroid camera with just a flashlight is of great credit to the photographer's skill."

Benedict Brain a judge:
 

"There's a wonderfully surreal element to this image with dark undertones but also a touch of humour, an interesting combo, that maybe speaks to the times we live in. It has been artfully conceived and beautifully put together using analogue techniques."

Second Place

Precious Potato by Clair

Clair:
 

"Jean is in her late 90's she has raised four children, been very close to her grandchildren and is lucky to see her bubbly great-grandchild growing up."

"For most of her life she has cooked and cared for her family, feeding them traditional nutritious meals, she appreciates the simplicity of the humble potato and how it can feed many around her ever-growing table. Many things in Jeans' lifetime have altered, except for the classic potato."

Benedict Brain:
 

The wonderfully simple and delicate approach to this image has been beautifully handled

Third Place

Hands Holding New Potatoes by John Glover

John Glover:
 

"Hands holding homegrown new organic potatoes recently harvested."

Martin Parr a judge:
 

"I love the simplicity of this as the gardener proudly shows off their homegrown spuds."

Fourth Place

My Potato Necklace by Clair

Clair:
 

"Exploring the possibilities of how the humble portable could be re-imagined."

Amy D’Agorne:
 

"This is a beautiful portrait in its own right. The photographer plays with both humour and intrigue with the added necklace of potatoes. I have heard of some old myths of a necklace of potatoes being used to cue a cold or fever. I wonder if the photographer was playing with this myth through their pairing of the potato necklace with the doilie?"

Fifth Place

Potato Ketchup by Steve Caplin

Made with Potatoshop
 Benedict Brain:
 

"Truly inspired!"

Sixth Place

The Potato In Motion by Spud White

Spud White:
 

"Photographing a potato at 1-millisecond intervals reveals that they are in a constant state of chaotic movement."

Judges Comments:
 

"Sometimes photographic pastiches seem laboured, but the wit and technical sophistication employed have made it an original piece in its own right. A homage to Muybridge, of course, but a creative work of irreverence too."

Seventh Place

The Screaming Potato by Erin Marie

This image was created using potato peels dipped in acrylic paint and a carved potato.
 Angel Nicolson a judge:
 

"The peelings replicate the brush strokes in Munch's painting brilliantly and the potato face has the same haunting quality. I hope this is one of a series!"

Amy D’Agorne:
 

"A wonderful and very creative mix of photography, sculpture, and painting. A lot of time, effort, and skill obviously went into this work and it definitely all paid off."

Eighth Place

Local Growers Market India by Ron Boon
 Ninth Place

Growth by Nigel Summerton
 Martin Parr a judge:
 

"Very simple and nicely lit potato sprouts."

Tenth Place

Submerged by Cashou

Cashou:
 

"Experimenting with potatoes underwater - this one reminds me of an embryo attached by its umbilical cord."

"I love the connection made here between the way the potato grows its new potatoes and an umbilical cord/the way new life is formed in humans. In Rebecca Earle's 'Feeding the People; The Politics of the Potato', she claims "Potatoes and people alike are born from the dark earth and return to it."

"I think that acknowledgement of just how similar we really are to the food we eat, and nature itself, is illustrated beautifully here."

Some great prizes from the likes of Fujifilm and the Royal Photographic Society, and once again Special Thanks to Photocrowd, Fujifilm UK, The Royal Photographic Society, ThinkTank, Fotospeed and Mindshift, along with their expert panel of judges - which included Martin Parr, Paul Hill, Amy D’Agorne, Angela Nicholson, Nigel Atherton, and Benedict Brain.
 

Prizes:

The overall winner William Ropp will receive over £1000 prizes

• Fujifilm X-T200 (kit with XC15-45mm)
• Think Tank Advantage XT, Photocrowd ‘Master’ subscription for 1 year

Second place will receive:

• Mindshift Rotation 180 Horizon, Fotospeed Framed print
• One Year Royal Photographic Society membership
• Photocrowd ‘Pro’ subscription for 1 year

Third Place will receive

• One day workshop with Ben Brain, ThinkTank
• Retrospective 7 v2
• Photocrowd ‘Challenger’ subscription for 1 year

All proceeds from the competition will go to help the Trussell Trust provide food for people locked in poverty.

As PotatoPro, we can't wait for next year's competition!