Two Up at QMMA’s …

The results of this years Queensland Multi Media Awards – the 22nd annual since their first in 1995 – were announced this week in a much quieter fashion than normal. The awards recognise those in the media, PR and advertising industries for their exceptional works. There have been many memorable, sometimes quite insane and legendary, presentation nights of celebration for award winners over the last couple of decades.

Sadly, QMMA funds for the first time this year did not run to the usual spectacular presentation dinner at a ritzy hotel.

So  … without the usual fanfare, fine foods and a few drinks … this years winners have just been announced quietly by email.

The email contained the good news that my image “The Skin I’m In – II” of Carol Mayer … has added to it’s growing tally (previously, amongst others, finalist in the National Photographic Portrait Prize) … by taking out both the ‘Best Editorial Photograph’ and ‘Best Photographic Image’ photography award categories. Huge ‘Thanks’ yet again to my wonderful subject Carol …

The QMMA’s … steered by the tireless Anita Plos … have been a great part of the media landscape in Queensland for a long long time … and provided many memorable evenings whilst recognising the best in the business. Fingers crossed that next year … the 23rd annual … the QMMA’s are back on track with the gala presentation night format.

“The Skin I’m In – II” © Brian Cassey

QMMA Queensland Multi Media Awards 2017 - Winner - Best Editorial Photograph - Best Photographic Image - "The Skin I'm In - II" - by Brian Cassey

 

 

October … Great Month … !

It’s not even half way through the month of October … but it’s already been a cracker !!

As the month turned I received news that five of my images had been selected as Finalists in four categories of the ‘Queensland Multi Media Awards’ … the winners will be announced at an awards ceremony at the Pullman Reef Hotel Casino Cairns on November 12th. Looking forward to that one …

That was followed by the announcement of selected finalists in the rich and prestigious ‘Moran Contemporary Photographic Prize’ … and my work ‘Number 55’ is one of the short listed images. The announcement of the $50,000 winner and the opening of the exhibition displaying all the Finalists work at Juniper Hall, Oxford Street, Paddington takes place on October 26th … and I’ll be choofing off to Sydney for that one!

Then … Thursday eve (the 13th) … the shock (to me) announcement, but wonderful news, that one of my images from the work on Manus Island PNG – of twenty year old Iraqi asylum seeker Abdullatif battered in the Lorengau police watch house – was selected as the Winner of the 2016 ‘Nikon Walkley Portrait Prize’. Magic … and now really looking forward to Australia’s media ‘night of nights’ – ‘The Walkley Awards’ – in Brisbane on Friday December 2nd. It’s the second time I’ve been lucky enough to snare the ‘Nikon Walkley Portrait Prize’ … the other being in 2011 with the portrait of Cairns burns survivor Carol Mayer.

Below is the 2016 ‘Nikon Walkley Portrait Prize’ Winner “Beaten Refugee”.

UPDATE … The Guardian has now published a great online gallery of ‘the best of’ this years Nikon Walkley winners and finalists – including my “Beaten Refugee” – at … https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/gallery/2016/oct/17/nikon-walkley-awards-2016-the-best-photographs

Image © 2016 Brian Cassey

Nikon Walkley Portrait Prize 2016 - "Beaten Refugee" - by Brian Cassey

Julie … “Disko Meri” … Found ! …

I mentioned in a post back in April – “Disko Meri Does It Again” – that I had been so far unable to let my Papua New Guinea bar girl subject Julie know about the success of her portrait in various photography events and awards around the planet over the last couple of years … Sydney (Head On Portrait Prize) and Cairns (QMMA Awards) Australia, New York City (Photoville 2015), Moscow (MIFA), Hyderabad India (Head On) and the ‘International Color Awards’ to name but a few.

I made the image at the Diamond Club in a not too salubrious part of Port Moresby. The club does not have a telephone or internet presence and it was impossible to contact her.

So … during a nights stopover in Port Moresby on my way to Manus Island a few weeks ago I dropped into the Diamond Club armed with a print and accompanied by PNG friends Margo and Raymond. At first it seemed that Julie would never know as we were told she no longer works at Diamonds. Fortunately someone found her brother in law who was in the club that eve and he offered to jump in a taxi (at our expense) and go and pick her up.

About an hour later a very bemused and rattled Julie arrived and was presented with a large print and told of her World wide fame. Julie explained that she was no longer working and was now a (single) mother of twins!

In the two years since I made the image Julie had changed from a confident up front bar girl into a quieter softer more lissome young mother of two baby boys. She said she was going to give the print to her mum …

Below is a pic © Raymond Nugent (Thanks Raymond) … of Julie in the Diamond Club with her print.

Disko Meri - Julie - Diamond Club - PNG - Print - Brian Cassey

 

20th QMMA’s Brings Two …

Hard to believe that Saturday eves Queensland Multi Media Awards hosted in Cairns at the Pullman Reef Hotel Casino was a landmark twentieth anniversary event. Yup … already twenty years of acknowledging and rewarding the work of Queensland’s regional media and advertising industry.

For some long forgotten reason I missed that first year of the awards (then named FNQ Media Awards) in 1996  … but do remember taking home the ‘Best News Photograph’ award the next year 1997. The winning image was of a then 6 year old Tjandamarra O’Shane – a victim of a burning petrol attack in his school playground that left him clinging to life with burns to 70% of his body. The pic was made outside Cairns Court on the day that his attacker Paul Wade Streeton was sentenced to life in prison.

Since that first QMMA win in ’97 I have had a fair chunk of excuses to attend the annual awards evenings … and haven’t missed a year since.

At the culmination of Saturdays celebrations I came home with two more awards – ‘Best News Photograph’ for “Mourning Our Dead Brothers and Sisters” (an image of the surviving siblings at the Murray Street murder scene – judges comment – “A tragic moment mourning, poignantly and sympathetically captured”) … and … ‘Best Editorial Image’ for “Disk Meri” (portrait of a PNG bar girl – judges comment – “A timeless and beautiful portrait illustrating a complex and difficult story”).

The QMMA crew – in particular stalwart Anita Plos – should be congratulated on their amazin’ work, persistence and dedication organising these important media awards over two decades … and here’s to the 21st!

My two winning images © are below and may also be found on an earlier blog post here.

Murray Street Cairns - massacre of children

Moscow Int Foto - Disko Meri Brian Cassey

Finalists, Finalists, Semi-Finalists …

Seems it’s the time of year for very welcome emails regarding a variety of photographic awards … although the eventual outcome of each is still very much up in the air. Over the last few weeks I have received news of ‘short list’ inclusions in each of the Fremantle International Portrait Prize, the Queensland Multi Media Awards … and the Moran Contemporary Photographic Prize.

Two of my portraits have been selected as Finalists in the Fremantle International – one of Cape York indigenous legend Tommy George (“The Last of the Kuku Thaypan”) – and the other of young Cape York sisters (“Jillaroos”). The results will be announced and the exhibition of Finalists work opened at the Moores Building Contemporary Art Gallery in Fremantle on Saturday October 24th – and I will be making the cross country trek to catch up with exhibiting colleagues.

The Queensland Multi Media Awards reach an impressive milestone this year … with the presentation evening marking twenty years of rewarding the work of Queensland’s media professionals. This week the three Finalists for each category were announced for the twentieth anniversary event – and my work was selected as a contender in ‘Best News Photograph’ with an image made whilst covering the horrific Murray Street massacre “Mourning Our Dead Brothers and Sisters” … and in ‘Best Editorial Image/Photograph’ for the pic of PNG bar girl Julie entitled “Disko Meri” (the same image that was chosen as part of the Head On Portrait Prize exhibition). Looking forward to a big night on presentation eve at the Pullman Reef Hotel Casino on Saturday November 7th.

The image from the Murray Street massacre coverage of the surviving brother and sister mourning next to the murder scene has also been selected as a Semi-Finalist in the prestigious Moran Prize. The announcement of the selected thirty ‘Finalist’ images that will make up the Moran exhibition at Juniper Hall in Paddington Sydney and each receive a cheque from the $80,000 prize pool, will be made shortly. Fingers crossed on that one but realistically not holding my breath.

Below I’ve posted – top to bottom and © Brian Cassey – the images mentioned above – “The Last of the Kuku Thaypan”, “Jillaroos”, “Mourning Our Dead Brothers and Sisters” and “Disko Meri”.

 

"Tommy - Last of the Kuku Thaypan" Tommy George is the last of the Kuku Thaypan aboriginal tribe from Laura far north Queensland Australia. He is the last remaining speaker of his tribal language and the last full blood of his tribe. When he dies his language and 42000 years of history will die with him..

"The Aak Puul Ngantam Stockman" - Jillaroos Nina Willmann 5 - Junior Jillaroo - Shae-Anne Willmann - Jillaroo ... at the indigenous pastoral company APN Cape York

Murray Street Cairns massacre - the last remain siblings after the murder of 9 children - Norena Warria and Lewis Warria (with Norena's son Cassius) mourne at the Murray Street shrine next to the murder scene.

"DISKO MERI" - PNG Bar Girl Julie - in Port Moresby's 'Diamond Club''

QMMA’s ‘Best Image’ …

QMMA – Queensland Multi Media Awards

The QMMA’S are now in their nineteenth year … not an insignificant achievement. The catchment area for the awards is basically the entire state of Queensland – but minus Brisbane – and it attracts entrants from all regions and from a wide spectrum of media and advertising organisations and individuals.

Last Saturday eve at the Pullman Reef Hotel Casino Cairns this years presentations were made and I was fortunate to take home the ‘gong’ for “Best Photographic Image”. The pic “The Betel Nut Trader” (below) was made in Papua New Guinea late in 2013 as part of an essay on the ban in Port Moresby of the trade in the natural and traditionally chewed mild narcotic betel nut (buai). It was published by the Sydney Morning Herald.

Image © Brian Cassey

QMMABlog

 

QMMA’s …

A very enjoyable and bitter sweet evening last Saturday at the QMMA’s  – the “2013 Queensland Multi Media Awards” – which honours the work of members of the media and advertising community from (almost) all of the State of Queensland.

I was fortunate indeed to come away from the evening at Pullman Reef Casino Hotel with two wins (in “Best Sports Photograph” and “Best Editorial Image/Photograph”) – but the highlight was the posthumous induction into the inaugural  “Hall of Fame” of my old mate and advertising legend Bob Hale. Son and friend Ben Hale made a touching acceptance speech … and the memories – and drinks – flowed. Great to share the evening with fine friends and colleagues … and thanks for the hard working event organising committee, judges and sponsors.

All the results from the evening can be found here at http://www.queenslandmultimediaawards.com/winners-2013 (Click on ‘Photography’ etc …)

Below are my selected successful images – “A Win At Last – On Siren” (Best Sports Photograph) and “Stockman” (Best Editorial Image/Photograph). Three of my other images also made the finalist cut in “Best News Photograph” and “Best Photographic Image”.

Images © Brian Cassey

WinAtLastOnSirenBlog copy

StockmanBlog copy