Photo Contest Awards Ceremony– In Times of Isolation and Hope

By Nikki Jennings

The Webster Leiden Media Department in collaboration with the Psychology Department presented a virtual awards ceremony to announce the winners of the In Times of Isolation and Hope Photo Contest. The event was led by Noemi Mena Montes, head of the Media Communications Department and Paul Rakowski, head of the Psychology Department.

The photo contest came about as a result of the media club’s collaboration last year with the Media Communication department to create a multimedia platform for students to share pictures, stories and campus news. WebsterCanal: run by students for students. The theme, In Times of Isolation and Hope, was born out of the unexpected circumstances that have faced everyone this year. Participants were encouraged to express their feelings and emotions of the pandemic through photographs. 

Students and alumni from across the globe submitted photographs, including from the United States, Mexico, the Netherlands, Nepal, Indonesia, Thailand and more. The photos were critiqued against an international jury composed of Webster University faculty, Francesco Arese Visconti from Switzerland Campus, Pablo Lerma Gonzalez from Leiden Campus, Webster photography and media communications alumni Christina Raymo and Ilayda Edali, and Dave Pelham, a professional photographer based in the Netherlands.

After the winners were announced, more of the photo entries were discussed. Paul Rakowski led the discussion and mentioned the effects of the pandemic on mental health and how we can use art to express ourselves during these trying times. He spoke on what the theme In Times of Isolation and Hope means to him, saying creativity is a powerful form of expression and communication. Art is often used by the artist to convey their emotions and to evoke emotions out of the viewers. 

Participants were encouraged to share their individual interpretations of the images. Artyom Napolskiy, Webster Leiden Media Department Assistant, expressed how great it was to see so many people interested in this photo contest and wanting to share their thoughts on the pandemic and restrictions that came along with the coronavirus.

Jury member Ilayda Edali said she felt every single photograph entered was impactful. While some images were more documentary style and others more symbolic, they all reflected the photographer’s personal experiences with coronavirus and isolation.

Some images immediately evoked a political message. Paul talked about how art can bring us all together and allow us to share emotions and experiences of the pandemic and our interpretations of these events.

Sheetal Shah, Academic Director of the Webster Leiden Campus, said that there isn’t a single person who wasn’t impacted by the pandemic. On both the conscious and subconscious level, everything has changed in terms of how we interact with friends, family and coworkers. Sheetal also mentioned the constant shifting and need to “create a new baseline” every few weeks/months after changes are made. She said that we will reflect back on the pandemic and look at this as one of the biggest game changers anyone in our generation may have seen.

During the discussion, some people had very literal interpretations of the images while others were more feeling oriented. Paul discussed how we often get criticized for how we feel or think. But that is not what art is about. Art is about both the literal part of what we see as much as the expressive interpretations. He encourages us all to take a moment during the isolation and look at things from a different perspective.

WINNERS: 

First Prize, Long Nguyễn

“It was springtime when I walked back from Schnuck, suddenly I saw an old woman stand behind the door. The weather felt so good and flowers started to bloom, but at the same time, the Coronavirus also started to spread all over the world and kept everybody inside. Standing by the door was an old man, talking with the woman. They might be old friends, and the man tried to talk with the woman when she isolated herself in the house for safety reasons. The moment was so private that I left two times but still come back to capture this picture because it looked so beautiful that I had to share.”

Second Prize, Szonja Benczik

"I usually see my grandparents very often as they live close to my house. We have this tradition since I was small that we always had Sunday lunch together, but when the pandemic broke out, we had to stop it. It was strange not to visit them on the weekends as usually, and we really missed it. On one Sunday, we agreed that we will continue our tradition in the way we can: having lunch via a video call. We even agreed to cook the same things so it was really as if we were together. What gave me hope, is that even when we physically could not be together we managed to continue our tradition even in the middle of the pandemic. We did it every Sunday, so it was something to look forward to every week, which is very important when all the days are the same in a lockdown. I took the picture because it shows that we can always find our ways to adapt, even to the most unexpected situations, to be together with our loved ones."

Third Prize, Hannah Myers

“With this self-portrait I wanted to express the duality of my turbulent experience during COVID-19, and the fresh eyes it allowed me to lay on my hometown. During the school year I live on-campus at Webster St. Louis, and am often too busy to make it home for more than a weekend or two. It had been a few years since I really spent time during the spring in rural Missouri where I grew up. The lockdown period gave me a new curiosity for the beauty of my small town, and I rediscovered places and memories from my childhood that I had forgotten about. While the events that took place during the Spring of 2020 were undoubtedly stressful, coming back to my roots was a really refreshing and hopeful experience for me. “

Alumni Winner, Anthony Formica

“The photo was taken on Florida Ave & 6th Street, Washington DC, USA. It shows the resiliency and strength of DC fighting against a global pandemic and racial inequality.”

We would like to thank everyone for their entries, and congratulate the winners on behalf of Webster Canal.