We are pleased to announce legendary British documentary photographer Martin Parr as the recipient of the Outstanding Contribution to Photography title. Parr will collect his title at the 2017 Sony World Photography Awards ceremony held in London on Thursday 20 April.
To coincide with the award, a special exhibition a unique selection of images, books and film from Parr's career, was shown as part of the 'Sony World Photography Awards & Martin Parr - 2017 Exhibition' at Somerset House, London, 21st April - 7th May.
“It is a great honour to receive the Outstanding Contribution to Photography title, especially knowing the illustrious previous recipients such as William Klein and William Eggleston.” - Martin Parr
To celebrate his award, Martin Parr gave a rare talk discussing his ground-breaking career, spanning more than 40 years and often focusing on themes of leisure, consumption and communication.
About Martin Parr
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Martin Parr is one of the best-known documentary photographers of his generation. With over 90 books of his own published, and another 30 edited by Parr, his photographic legacy is already established.
Parr also acts as a curator and editor. He has curated two photography festivals, Arles in 2004 and Brighton Biennial in 2010. More recently Parr curated the Barbican exhibition, Strange and Familiar.
Parr has been a member of the Magnum agency since 1994 and is currently the President. In 2013 Parr was appointed the visiting professor of photography at the University of Ulster.
Parr’s work has been collected by many of the major museums, from the Tate, the Pompidou and the Museum of Modern Art in New York.