(PRAGUE – October 30, 2017) A photograph by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s (RFE/RL) Amos Chapple has been nominated by Czech Press Photo for its 2017 video and photo contest.
The photograph belongs to his series titled The Buddhists Vs. The Billionaire, which depicts the struggle for survival of a monastery on an isolated mountaintop in Russia’s Ural Mountains. The monastery, established over the past 21 years by a small group of Buddhists, is on land claimed by a company belonging to one of Russia’s most powerful oligarchs, and faces removal.
The nominated shot shows 27-year old Boleslav Vavilov meditating during some time off from work at the monastery. The photographer says: “It came about because he wanted a cool photo of himself at the monastery, so it wasn’t quite a journalistic moment, but it's definitely a striking image."
Chapple’s photograph, selected among 7,000 submissions, is one of six entries shortlisted in the contest’s Lifestyle category.
The awards, now in their 23rd year, will be announced in a ceremony in Prague’s Old Town Hall on November 21, where the winning photographs will be exhibited from 22 November to 30 January 2018.
Chapple is an internationally renowned photographer who travels the world taking photos for RFE/RL. His Mammoth Pirate series, which documents the journeys of Siberian ‘tuskers’ who are hunting for ivory remains, earned him worldwide attention and accolades.