W. Eugene Smith Memorial Fund Announces Winner of Prestigious Photography Grant Annual Grant for Humanistic Photography Sponsored by Nikon Spirit Initiative(C); Awards Ceremony and Reception Held Oct. 27 in New York City MELVILLE, N.Y., Oct. 27 /PRNewswire/ -- The Nikon Spirit Initiative(C) and the W. Eugene Smith Fund today announced Trent Parke as the overall winner of the 2003 annual W. Eugene Smith Grant in Humanistic Photography. In his winning photographic essay, Minutes to Midnight: A Changing Australia -- Cities, Beaches, Bush, Parke focused his photographic eye upon his home country of Australia. For the past eight years, Parke has been documenting daily life in the city of Sydney, and he will continue to travel throughout Australia during 2004 to document its people and culture in an attempt to capture the mood and emotions of the still young and emerging nation. The winning work also reflects Parke's commentary on the recent Bali bombing and threats of terrorist attacks in Australia, which he says has affected "the psyche of the nation" and caused the "disappearance of innocence" in the country. (Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20031027/NYM162 ) Parke will be awarded a $30,000 grant, funded by The Nikon Spirit Initiative, at an awards ceremony this evening at the HBO Theatre in New York City. The grant is awarded each year to independent photographers who have demonstrated their commitment to documenting the human condition. "The Nikon Spirit Initiative would like to congratulate this year's winners and is pleased to be affiliated with and support the W. Eugene Smith Grant," said Anna Marie Bakker, general manager of communications at Nikon Inc. "Capturing the human experience through the lens of a camera requires sharing a certain level of the suffering or joy of the subject. To accurately portray the human condition takes great talent and insight. Nikon is proud to help fund photographers who continue this tradition by following in the footsteps of the great humanistic photographer W. Eugene Smith." The W. Eugene Smith Fellowship Grant, also funded by The Nikon Spirit Initiative, will be awarded this evening as well. New York City photographer Victor Sira, in his work entitled Points of Entry, chronicles the lives and living conditions of undocumented immigrants flowing into the European Union through three key border regions in France, Spain and Italy. Sira will receive a grant totaling $5,000. The primary grant is awarded to the photographer whose previous work and proposed continuation follow in the tradition of W. Eugene Smith's compassionate dedication as a photographic essayist. "On behalf of the Smith Fund and the photojournalists who have been recipients and will be recipients of the Grant, we sincerely thank The Nikon Spirit Initiative for its continued support and friendship to our profession," said Helen Marcus, president of the W. Eugene Smith Memorial Fund, Inc. "We are thrilled and excited that Nikon continues to demonstrate its leadership in supporting photography and the work of great photographers in their portrayal of our society." Learn more about the W. Eugene Smith Fund by logging onto the website at http://www.smithfund.org/. About The Nikon Spirit Initiative: The Nikon Spirit Initiative encompasses a variety of educational and sponsorship programs, and serves as a forum for expression and creativity to inspire and help people realize their creative visions through photography. Through this initiative, Nikon is giving back to the photographic community by fostering education and providing opportunities and support through grants, scholarships, contests, promotion, workshops, equipment donations and financial contributions. The Nikon Spirit Initiative inspires photographers of all skill levels to use photography as a medium to directly impact the lives of others. For more information, please visit http://www.nikonusa.com/spiritinitiative. About the W. Eugene Smith Grant The W. Eugene Smith Grant in Humanistic Photography is presented annually to a photographer whose past work and proposed project for the upcoming year, as judged by a panel of experts, follows the tradition of W. Eugene Smith's compassionate dedication exhibited during his 45-year career as a photographic essayist. Since 2001, the grant has been $30,000, with an additional $5,000 in fellowship money awarded at the discretion of the jury. The grant program is independently administered by the W. Eugene Smith Memorial Fund and generously funded by Nikon Inc. Visit the W. Eugene Smith Memorial Fund on the Web at http://www.smithfund.org/. http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20031027/NYM162 http://photoarchive.ap.org/ DATASOURCE: The Nikon Spirit Initiative(C) CONTACT: Emily Buchanan of The MWW Group, +1-201-507-9500, Web site: http://www.smithfund.org/ http://www.nikonusa.com/spiritinitiative

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