Territory: Europe
Theme: Lumière(s)/Light(s)
Eligibility: French residents
Entry Fees: Free
Prize: Exhibition
The Estée Lauder Companies Pink Ribbon Photo Award was created in 2012 by The Estée Lauder Companies France, on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the Pink Ribbon, in homage to Mrs. Evelyn H. Lauder and in order to support the actions of the Ruban Rose organization.
A pioneer in its genre and on a national scale, this competition is open to all photographers, amateurs and professionals alike. Since its first edition, several hundred contributions have been received from every region in France, around a theme defined annually: Pink Positive (2012), #SoPink (solidarity and breast cancer – 2013), Pink Energy (2014), My Battle, My Force (2015), Loving Oneself (2016), What Unites Us (2017), All Involved (2018), Heroes (2019), Resilience (2020), Gratitude (2021), An Eye for Beauty (2022), IN.VISIBLES (2023).
The Estée Lauder Companies Pink Ribbon Photo Award brings together a wide public in an artistic way within the context of the national campaign against breast cancer, a campaign in which the Estée Lauder Companies France is actively involved as a founding member—with Marie Claire magazine—of the Ruban Rose Association.
Now a key event within its field, over the years the competition has allowed life stories to be revealed. Although they are often anonymous, they are always unique and never ordinary. It has contributed to removing certain taboos with regard to what many women, and sometimes men, experience when confronted with the disease.
Stories of families, friendship, love, reflections on the disease, unvarnished portraits, moving visual chronicles, humor… the photographic gesture here represents in and of itself a profound human engagement.
The Estée Lauder Companies Pink Ribbon Photo Award is the bond between one person and another, heart to heart, an indestructible bond of solidarity between models and photographers, carried along by a cause that affects each and everyone of us. Its photographs, its stories, have resulted in several exhibitions, in Paris and in the provinces, during the context of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, dedicated each year, in October, to the struggle against breast cancer and to disseminating information about early breast cancer screening.
Each year, 40 photographer finalists are selected by a Jury composed of personalities united by the passion for photography and their commitment to the fight against breast cancer. The recipients of the Jury Prize and the Téva Audience Award of this eleventh edition will be announced during an exceptional awards ceremony that will take place during Paris Photo (November 7-10, 2024), a partner of the competition for the seventh consecutive year.
The theme of this 13th edition is Lights(s) - "Lumière(s)": the illustration disease stages - discovery, evolution, treatments - the sparks of hope or bursts of joy in cases of remission and cure. But also, the inner fire that drives many people confronted with this suffering... All nuances are allowed. Through this competition, photographers and models share an intense moment that they offer to the public. What emerges from these human encounters are powerful and enlightening accounts of the daily lives of sufferers, whether they are undergoing treatment or in remission, and of the loved ones who are also going through these ordeals. A feeling of benevolence shines through where, often, loneliness and incomprehension threaten.
