The 2008 Prix Pictet Award in Photography is a major new global prize in photography that "focuses on perhaps the greatest single issue of the twenty-first century: sustainability." The theme for 2008 is water. The award is sponsored by Pictet & Cie, in association with the Financial Times.

From a field of over 200 nominated photographers from 43 countries, the judges have shortlisted 18 photographers "who have produced works that are of outstanding artistic merit and communicate messages of urgent global significance."

Each of the shortlisted photographers will exhibit their work in Paris, at the Palais de Tokyo, at the end of October. The winner of the first Prix Pictet will be announced on October 30th, and will receive CHF100,000 (approximately $100,000 USD).

I am delighted to learn that 3 of the finalists are photographers whose work has already been shown in Lens Culture. Each of the 3 has also contributed in-depth audio interviews:

David Maisel, and here too.

Edward Burtynsky

Jules Spinatsch


The other shortlisted artists are:


Benoit Aquin
Jesus Abad Colorado
Thomas Joshua Cooper
Sebastian Copeland
Christian Cravo
Lynn Davis
Reza Deghati
Susan Derges
Malcolm Hutcheson
Chris Jordan
Carl De Keyzer
Mary Mattingly
Robert Polidori
Roman Signer
Munem Wasif


Here are two images by Benoit Aquin that were chosen to be finalists: