Moscow − Cape Town photographer Justin Sullivan's surgically piercing aerial view of an African elephant poached for ivory in northern Botswana has been voted best photo of the Andrei Stenin International Press Photo Contest's online voters' competition. The win in this
For Sullivan, having Disconnection make it into the finals of the prestigious annual contest evoked mixed feelings.
"It’s exciting to see that an important issue such as Elephant poaching will make headlines around the world and ignite new interest in the conversations surrounding Elephant poaching - It’s also heartbreaking as a reminder of the ecological loss we are currently facing. This specific elephant was slaughtered in an extremely inhumane manner and the photo represents just how isolated and disconnected not only the elephant was in that moment, but how disconnected we are from the situation. I’m really proud of this image and confident it will bring about proactive dialogue on elephant conservation," Justin says.
The image collected more than a quarter of all online votes.
On the 10th of September, a ceremony will be held in Moscow to announce the winners of the Andrei Stenin International Press Photo Contest. The contest photo exhibition will open on the same day and the traditional world tour of the winning entries will be launched.