Singapore’s most prestigious photography award will be exhibited at Chan Hampe Galleries next month.

Having established itself over the last three years as one of Singapore’s major art prizes, this year's ICON de Martell Cordon Bleu Nominations Committee comprised of Mr Benjamin Hampe, Director of Chan Hampe Galleries; Mr Edwin Koo, Photographer and Winner of ICON de Martell Cordon Bleu 2012; Ms Kelley Cheng, Founder and Creative Director of the Press Room; and Ms Wang Ruobing, Curator, The National Art Gallery.

Collectively they nominated eight artists for their work in the photographic medium. Guided by ICON de Martell Cordon Bleu’s objective to recognise original photographic work that demonstrates powerful narratives and thought-provoking concepts expressed through a defining visual language, the Nominations Committee nominated the following photographers to vie for the S$30,000 prize this year: Ms Alecia Neo, Mr Darren Soh, Ms Dawn Ng, Ms Liana Yang, Ms Ore Huiying, Ms Sarah Choo, Ms Sim Chi Yin, Mr Tan Ngiap Heng.

As part of its mission to make art more accessible, ICON de Martell Cordon Bleu will also travel to various tertiary institutions and art schools where video compositions of the nominee's works will be screened. These educational tours will aim to encourage young people to pursue their artistic passions and to inspire them to become future nominees of the award.

The three-week long ICON de Martell Cordon Bleu series of events will culminate in a 10-day exhibition of the video compositions at Chan Hampe Galleries. The exhibition is open for public viewing during Chan Hampe Galleries regular opening hours.

Image: © Dawn Ng