Prix Pictet 2009 Earth

Now in its second year, the Prix Pictet, awarded by the Swiss Private Bank Pictet & Cie, aims to use photography to educate audiences worldwide about issues related to climate change. This is the first photographic award on the topic of sustainability, harnessing art’s unique compelling power for the benefit of our precious planet. The theme for this year is Earth, encompassing the planet, the ground beneath our feet, and the ways in which mankind negatively affects the landscape, whether through broken abandoned cities, strip mining, waste dumps or other forms of exploitation. It also refers to the aftermath of natural disasters such as earthquakes, landslides and volcanoes. The shortlist of the nominees (Darren Almond, Christopher Anderson, Sammy Baloji, Edward Burtynsky, Andreas Gursky, Naoya Hatakeyama, Nadav Kander, Ed Kashi, Abbas Kowsari, Yao Lu, Edgar Martins, Chris Steele-Perkins) was announced in July at the Rencontres d’Arles photo festival in France, and the winner in Paris in October. One of the short-listed photographers will be commissioned to record a sustainability project funded by Pictet & Cie. In this regard Pictet & Cie is proud to support the work that Azafady, a UK charity and Malagasy-registered NGO, is carrying out in Madagascar. Azafady's aim is to enable the poorest communities in Madagascar to develop sustainable ways of living and to increase local access to health care and education.