Each year, the World Photography Organisation compiles a panel of influential photography professionals from around the world to judge the Sony World Photography Awards.
The 2014 Jury comprised of the following experts and was chaired by W.M. Hunt:
W.M. Hunt, Strategist
W.M. – Bill - Hunt is a New York-based a champion of photography: collector, curator and consultant. He has a new project "When?" which will be released by Daylight in the Fall of 2014. An earlier book “The Unseen Eye: Photographs from the Unconscious” was published by Thames & Hudson in the UK, Aperture in the US and as “L’Oeil Invisible” by Actes Sud in France. It was based on his Collection Dancing Bear, "magical, heart stopping images of people in which the eyes cannot be seen". Highlights of it have been exhibited at the George Eastman House, International Museum of Photography and Film in Rochester, NY and at the Rencontres d’Arles, Musée de l'Elysée in Lausanne, FOAM_Fotografiemuseum Amsterdam and Blue Sky in Portland, Oregon. Selections from his Collection Blind Pirate, photographs of American Groups before 1960 have been exhibited at Foto/Industria in Bologna, Italy and at HCP (Houston Center for Photography) in Texas and will be presented this summer in Arles. A dealer for many years, he was a principal in Hasted Hunt and Ricco/Maresca Gallery and responsible for introducing many major contemporary artists in the US. Hunt has been a judge or nominator for World Press Photo, Sony World Photography Awards, Prix Pictet, Getty Images, etc. He has been a longtime board member of the W. Eugene Smith Memorial Fund, AIPAD (Association of International Photography and Art Dealers), and The Center for Photography at Woodstock. He also teaches at SVA ( School of Visual Arts), ICP (International Center of Photography), and Aperture. For many years he has produced the “Your Picture …” panels for PDN.
Guy Harrington, Founder, Soho Management
Guy Harrington's career in photography began when he edited Goldrush. Alongside the photographer Jason Bell, he travelled extensively to meet leading sportsmen and women past and present. Once he returned from the trip Soho Management agency was set up with the purpose of introducing strong strategy and direction into the agent artist relationship while moving away from the aggressive agent tactics that defined the 90's.
With all the changes in the industry the original principles of the agency have remained. Guy believes that though post-production and the proliferation of photography apps have reduced the skill required to create a good photograph, talented artists will still rise to the top. In a market that's this competitive, the Sony World Photography Awards is the perfect platform to discover and promote professional and amateur photographers.
Ruth Eichhorn, Director of Photography, Geo
Ruth Eichhorn has been the Director of Photography of the German GEO magazines since 1994. She worked out of the New York-office for GEO as their Bureau Chief for five years. Before she worked for French and American GEO out of Hamburg and for several German magazines as their Photo Editor. She lived and studied in Paris and was born in Kiel/Germany.
Isabella Icoz, Art Consultant, Istanbul,Turkey and UK
Isabella Icoz is of Greek origin, born in London, raised in Switzerland, educated in the United States and currently living in Istanbul. Isabella received a BA with Honors at Brown University, an MA at The George Washington University and a Post-Graduate Diploma with Merit in East Asian Art at the Sotheby’s Institute of Art.
Isabella previously worked at Christie’s in their London Business Development and Client Advisory departments and then as an Adviser to Sotheby’s for Turkish art for several years.
For the past six years Isabella has worked as an art consultant based in Istanbul, advising her Turkish and international clients on Modern and Contemporary art, both Turkish and international. Isabella also works as an Adviser to The Fine Art Fund, as the Contemporary Art Adviser to Istanbul '74, as a nominator for the Prix Pictet, and is Head of VIP Relations for ArtInternational Istanbul.
Isabella curated the shows ‘Five in Istanbul’ in collaboration with the Lehmann Maupin Gallery in Istanbul in October/November 2010 with works by artists Hernan Bas, Tracey Emin, Teresita Fernandez, Tony Oursler and Jennifer Steinkamp, the show Angel Otero at Istanbul '74 in February/March 2012, and the art gallery section for the Istanbul INN London event this April at Victoria House. Isabella will also be curating a show in Istanbul this November titled 10 under 40, featuring top Turkish and international Contemporary artists.
Matthew Pillsbury, Photographer, USA
Matthew Pillsbury (b-1973) is a French born American photographer who lives in New York City. He makes black and white photographs that are open ended reflections on our complex and evolving relationships to technology, culture, art and each other. In using longer exposures, from a few minutes to over an hour, Pillsbury's photographs engage us to look at our world with a renewed sense of discovery and reveal visual truths in the everyday. His work is included in the permanent collections of renowned institutions including the MOMA, the Guggenheim, the Houston Museum of Fine Art, the Library of Congress, the Tate Modern in London and the Louvre in Paris among others. His work has also been widely exhibited both nationally and internationally and has been featured in the New York Times Magazine, Wired, New York Magazine and other publications. He received his BFA from Yale University and his MFA from the School of Visual Arts in 2004. In 2013, Aperture published a monograph of his work “City Stages”. He is represented by the Bonni Benrubi gallery in New York.
Harry Hardie, Founder & Co-Director, Here Press
Harry is Founder and Co-Director of Here Press, a company that publishes books of photography that explore new forms of documentary practice. Harry is also Director of Cultural and Special Projects for Panos Pictures, a photo agency that specialises in global social issues through international exhibition tours and book projects.
Harry is also a senior lecturer in Photojournalism at the University of Westminster.
Harry has been working with photography for over 10 years, starting as the Assistant to the Director of Photography at The Times, London, then as the photo editor for The Times Luxx Magazine. After The Times, Harry worked as director of HOST Gallery, London before founding Here Press and working with Panos.
Poorna Bell, Lifestyle Editor, The Huffington Post (UK)
Poorna Bell is the Lifestyle Editor for The Huffington Post - previously she worked as the Senior Travel Editor for MSN and prior to that, as a print journalist writing for The Guardian, The Sunday Times Travel magazine and The London Paper. She has worked as a journalist for 11 years, and during that time has been a judge on the panel at the Decibel Book Awards and was a finalist for a Woman of The Future Award. Her hobbies are - surprise - travel, as well as reading, mediation and cooking.
Simon Barnett, Director of Photography, CNN Digital, USA
As the Director of Photography for CNN Digital Barnett's responsibilities include supervising worldwide staff editors, developing long-term photographic and design strategy for digital platforms and directing the award-winning CNN Photos Blog.
Prior to joining CNN in 2011, Barnett was Director of Photography for Newsweek, Esquire, LIFE.com and Discover magazine. Previously he was Allsport USA's Senior Managing Editor in Santa Monica, CA, before moving to New York in 1997 to join ESPN the Magazine as a founding staffer on the launch of the magazine.
Barnett's work has been recognized by World Press Photo, Overseas Press Club, ASME, SPD, POYi and NPPA, among others.
Joanna Neurath, Design Director, Thames & Hudson (UK)
Johanna Neurath has worked in illustrated book publishing for 25 years as a picture editor, typographer, (award-winning) book and jacket designer, art director and Commissioning Editor. Since 2004 she has been Design Director at Thames & Hudson. She studied at the London College of Communication. Recent photography titles she has commissioned include: Street Photography Now, Tim Walker's Story Teller and the forthcoming Photographers' Sketchbooks.
She is also a regular portfolio reviewer at various international photography festivals and she devised and led the practical workshop “Editing, Sequencing and Bookmaking for Photographers”.
Hannah Brenchley, Picture Editor, Tatler (UK)
Hannah has recently joined Tatler as Picture Editor after working at The Independent newspaper for eight years. She started her career at The Sunday Telegraph Magazine, moving to The Independent Saturday Magazine for a couple of years before becoming Picture editor at The New Review, The Independent on Sunday’s magazine supplement.
As Picture Editor at Tatler Hannah’s role is to commission portraiture and still-lifes throughout the magazine working closely with the Art and Fashion Directors.