New York, NY, (October 19, 2009) — New York City again hosted the 7th Annual Lucie Awards in a gala black-tie ceremony and awards program held for the third time at prestigious Lincoln Center in the newly renovated Alice Tully Hall. The Lucies – the world’s most esteemed photography awards ceremony honoring the greatest achievements in the field – presented awards in categories ranging from Lifetime Achievement to Humanitarian to Achievements in support categories from fashion to advertising.  As 2003 honoree Douglas Kirkland said, “The movie industry has its Oscars and the photography community has its Lucies.”
Again, we are thrilled to be part of this gathering of such talented and deserving honorees.  Each year grows on the foundation built the prior years of the Lucies,” says Lucies founder Hossein Farmani.  “We are witness again to an extraordinary group of superbly gifted honorees, and honored by the equally accomplished presenters.  These photographers are truly the best in their respective fields.”  This year, 1100 people attended from 25 countries around the globe.  
The 2009 honorees and presenters are:
Ara Güler (Lifetime Achievement), presented by and accepted by Sarkis Baharoglu
Reza (Achievement in Documentary), presented by Astrid Merget of World Photography Awards.    
Gilles Peress (Achievement in Photojournalism), presented by Thomas Keegan and accepted by Mr. Peress' wife, Alison Cronyn.
Mark Seliger (Achievement in Portraiture), presented by Creative Director of GQ Magazine, Fred Woodward.
Jean-Paul Goude (Achievement in Fashion), presented by Harpers Bazaar Editor in Chief, Glenda Bailey
Marvin Newman (Achievement in Sports) presented by Author Al Silverman
W. Eugene Smith Memorial Fund will be honored with the Spotlight Award, presented by John Godrey Morris and accepted by Marcel Saba.
     
Additionally, AtEdge presented the International Photographer of the Year Award with Nadav Kander claiming the Award from among finalist’s: Andreas Smetana, Michael Schnabel, Achim Lippoth, Nadav Kander, Francois Robert, Kacper Kowalski, Céline Clanet, and Sue Flood.  Susan Baraz, co-chair of the Lucie Awards and Glen Serbin, both of AtEdge presented.
Miss Rosen presented the Discovery of the Year Award to Elliot Wilcox chosen from among the finalists including:  Rosanna Anson, Thomas Wissmann, Andy Spyra, Elliott Wilcox, James Knight-Smith, Alain Paris, and Alan Kupchick.  Nadav Kander and Elliot Wilcox win $10,000 and $5,000 prizes, respectively.   
 
Suzanne Caballero of Blurb presented Rachel Papo with a prize of $5000 and a Lucie statue for the International Photographer of the Year - Deeper Perspective Award.  Rachel Papo was chosen from finalists: Rachel Papo, Christian Vium, Yann Gross, Lamia Abillama, Alberto Lizaralde, and Eugenia Maximova.
 
The Spotlight Award, was bestowed celebrating the specific achievements of an individual, organization or corporation whose endeavors have significantly changed the landscape of photography. John Godfrey Morris proudly presented this award to The W.Eugene Smith Memorial Fund, which was accepted by Marcel Saba, the fund's current President.
 
The IPA also conferred awards in six support categories:
Picture Editor of the year – Steve Fine - Sports Illustrated, was presented by Lauren Wendle of PDN
Photo Magazine of the Year – www.burnmagazine.org,  was presented by Lauren Greenfield.
Fashion Layout of the Year – Harper's Bazaar - Thriller Fashion by Terry Richardson, was presented by photographer Roxanne Lowitt.
Book Publisher of the Year –Verso Limited Editions Bruce Davidson - Central Park, was presented by Joyce Tenneson.
Print Advertising Campaign of the Year – FFL France Wrangler We Are Animals  Ryan McGinley was presented by James Ingram.  
Photography Curator of the Year – Sarah Greenough Looking In: Robert Frank's The Americans, was presented by actor/photographer Alexandra Hedison.
 
Host Barry Weintraub both inspired and amused the crowds with wit and humor while hosting the award show.
 
The Awards actually cap a weekend of celebration of photography hosted by the Lucie Awards’ governing body, the Lucie Foundation. The kick-off was an exhibition opening at the Farmani Gallery on Friday night in the DUMBO section of Brooklyn.  Saturday evening’s Best of Show exhibition and party were both at Splashlight in Soho with over 600 guests enjoying the debut of the exhibit.  On Sunday, The Lucie Foundation partnered with En Foco to produce artist talks also at Soho’s Splashlight.  The participating artist were: Mustafah Abdulaziz, Sue Flood, Rachel Papo and Rania Matar.  Friday, Saturday and Sunday’s events were open to the public.   
The Lucie Awards official media partner is PDN and Photo Plus International. LaCie, the leading provider of integrated storage solutions, color monitors and accessories, sponsors this year’s Lucie Awards.  Additional support is provided by, AtEDGE, Blurb, Duggal, Hance Partners, and Splashlight studios.
 
About the Lucie Foundation
The Lucie Foundation’s three fold mission is to honor master photographers, to discover and cultivate emerging talent and to promote the appreciation of photography worldwide.  The photography communities from countries around the globe pay tribute to the year’s most outstanding photographic achievements at the annual Lucie Awards ceremony.  The Lucies recognize men and women whose life’s work in photography merits the highest acclaim by their peers.  This year alone, the Lucie Foundation rolled out programming in Los Angeles, and New York including MOPLA, Fresh Fairs and Fresh Look, Lucie Lectures East and West, the mentor program and scholarships, as well as Pro’jekt LA summer series of outdoor photographic projections.  The winners of IPA Photographer of the Year, the Discovery of the Year and Deeper Perspective Photographer of the Year are announced at the Lucies and are awarded cash prizes and statues.  The Lucie Foundation is a 501(c)3 non-profit charitable foundation.
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www.luciefoundation.org