The fight for normality for people with Down syndrome has been recognized at a prestigious photo competition

The fight for normality for people with Down syndrome has been appreciated. In the prestigious LensCulture Portrait Award 2019, she won a series of photos depicting their difficult life.

I follow the LensCulture Portrait Award from the very beginning. And from that moment I am his big fan who looks at the awarded photos with great commitment. Why? Because the organizers and members of the jury are outstanding photographers, curators, people who ate photos in the pictures. Mentors who are well-versed in the trade, who know what trends are but who value tradition. And this is the competition.

The awarded photographs are characterized by an innovative approach to the portrait with respect for tradition. I will say the quality and depth of real photography, in the sea of ​​instagram, pop chop, which is of little importance, except the visual layer.

Our jury was surprised by the scope of the submitted works. From bizarre self-portraits to creative portraits of family, friends, groups and ordinary people around the world, from classic studio portraits to environmental portraits. There are so many great portraits around the world today! - explain the organizers on your website.

The LensCulture Portrait Award 2019 is divided into two categories: a series of photos and individual images. The international jury evaluated works sent from 166 countries. 39 photographers from 20 countries were awarded.

Difficult story of people with Down's syndrome that requires attention

The winner in the category of photos is Marinka Masséus from the Netherlands. Her award-winning series "Chosen [Not] to be" is part of a larger, loud project " Radical Beauty ." A project whose goal is to provide people with Down Syndrome with their rightful place in the visual arts.

The young women I worked with had a strong will to succeed in order to prove themselves. (...) By implementing the project "Chosen [Not] to be" I am thinking about their reality - the barriers they face, the refusal of the public to see their possibilities, the invisibility of their real selves, I want to visually present their experiences - says the author Marinka Masséus .

The "Radical Beauty" project is attended by as many as 40 photographers from around the world. The creators focus on fashion photography, showing the characters in exceptional artistic portraits. The goal of the project is to disprove the view that people with Down's syndrome are not only adorable, and perhaps even considered stupid by some. Artists want to show that people who have real emotions, thoughts and control over their lives inside.

The second place in the series of photos went to Soomin Ham for a series of pigment prints.

The third place is a series of photographs by Mary Berridge, which documented the lives of children with autism.

It's worth taking a look at the awarded single photographs

For the best single photo, the black and white cage of Daniel Lyons "Gemini" was considered the author of the fleeting moment of the life of the sisters Estera and Julia, just before their breakup, and one of them was about to get married.

In the second place is the photo from the series "Crève-coeur", meaning "Breaking the heart". The author Aude Carleton shows on her a young girl worried about her love affairs.

Third place is a portrait made by Laura Pannack showing young British naturist.

The fight for normality for people with Down syndrome has been recognized at a prestigious photo competition