LuganoAward 2020 winners
December 20, 2021
The winner of the Swiss Storytelling Photo Grant, the ninth edition of the photo competition organised by LuganoPhotoDays, is Swiss photographer Mario Heller with the project Arctic Dreams.
There is a tradition in Barentsburg: Whenever you are on the mainland, you should hug a tree because you will find none of them here. The Russian settlement on Spitsbergen in the Arctic is so remote that reaching it is only possible by helicopter, snowmobile, or ship – if the extreme weather allows it at all. Because of the permanent danger from polar bears, leaving the village without a rifle is forbidden. In winter, Barentsburg sinks into months of darkness; in summer the sun shines around the clock. The population consists primarily of Ukrainian miners and young urbanites from Russia. They live in a close-knit community where everyone knows each other. Who are the people who have chosen to live in this strange place? And how do they manage to coexist peacefully in times of political tension?
