World’s best food photographs served up
A haunting image, Red Bean Paste Balls, by Chinese photographer Zhonghua Yang, has won the overall prize of Pink Lady Food Photographer of the Year 2024, the world’s leading celebration of food photography and film.
The image, which had first won the Champagne Taittinger Food for Celebration category, was taken in the rural area of Xiangshan, Zhejiang during busy preparations for a feast for the Spring Festival, also known as Lunar New Year. This includes the tradition of making dim sum, such as red bean dumplings, steamed rice cakes and glutinous rice cakes, each of which has a legacy of traditional craftsmanship.
Thai photographer, Natnattcha Chaturapitamorn, achieved great success in this year’s competition; from the thousands of entries submitted from over 65 countries across the world, she had a total of four finalist images, including two category wins.
Natnattcha won the Tenderstem® Bring Home the Harvest category with ‘A Day in the Field’, a stunning shot of a young farmer carrying a rack of rice sprouts across a paddy field in Sakon Nakhon, Thailand. She also won the regional category of Pink Lady® Food Photographer of the Year - South East Asia with ‘Danang Fishermen’, a capture of local fishermen casting their fishing nets from two Sampan boats in Vietnam. She was awarded 3rd place in the category too for her image of a father and son catching fish by using a bamboo basket trap inside a karst cave in Vietnam during monsoon season. Her ‘A Day in the Field’ image was Highly Commended in the category too.
The winners of all 36 categories were announced by acclaimed chef and broadcaster Andi Oliver in an exciting Awards ceremony gathering stars of the food and art world at the Mall Galleries, London on Tuesday 4 June 2024.
This year’s global judging panel, chaired by legendary food photographer, David Loftus, includes Clare Reichenbach, CEO, of the James Beard Foundation, Tom Athron, CEO, of Fortnum & Mason, Asma Khan, Presenter, Chef’s Table, Cookbook Author and Founder, Darjeeling Express, Fiona Shields, Picture Editor, The Guardian, Chef Ian Kittichai, Restaurateur, Author & TV Host, and Rein Skullerud, Senior Photographer & Photo Editor, United Nations World Food Programme.
"Pink Lady Food Photographer of the Year continues to tell important food stories from across the globe through the very best photography,” says Phil Turnbull, CEO of APAL, owner of Pink Lady® and headline sponsor of the Awards. "Despite the challenges of an ever-changing world, we never cease in growing, gathering, cooking, eating and celebrating with food. Each year, the remarkable photographs serve as a reminder of the fundamental role of food in every culture and every people around the world."
An exhibition of all the finalist images and films will premiere at the Mall Galleries, London. The free-to-enter exhibition, which has been named one of the best photography exhibitions to see in 2024, runs from 5th - 9th June. The exhibition forms part of the first-ever Plate! St James’s, a new festival across the historic area of St James’s in London celebrates food, drink and photography from 5th - 23rd June.
To see the online gallery of all the 2024 finalists, visit www.pinkladyfoodphotographeroftheyear.com
Entries for the 2025 edition of the competition will open later this year in September.
