Pictures of the Year International honors Leaders in Photojournalism

The Pictures of the Year International (POYi) competition has conferred a special award this year, bestowing the Distinguished Leadership in PhotoJournalism Award upon Magnum Founders: In Celebration of Sixty Years, a hard-cover, limited edition book of platinum prints celebrating the work of pioneering photographers who have come to help define modern photography. The book was submitted by Verso Limited Editions, and a special award was bestowed. Eleven highly esteemed professionals reviewed more than 46,00 images for the competition, and were all amazed by the presentation and quality of Magnum Founders.

The distinction is shared among Verso Limited Editions, Magnum Photos, and Magnum founders (and photographic legends) Robert Capa, Henri Cartier-Bresson, George Rodger, and David Seymour. Verso specializes in hand-crafted books in the traditional style, in an attempt to emulate the rare first editions of the 1900s from artists such as Picasso, Matisse, and Salvador Dali.

From Verso Limited Editions:

"Seventy-five editions of Magnum Founders are being produced, each containing twelve bound, original 14 x 16 inch platinum prints, three by each photographer, as well as one freestanding platinum print by Robert Capa. The images selected for the book are some of the most important of these photographers' careers, and each print bears the stamp of the photographer's estate. The Cartier-Bresson prints in Magnum Founders are the only estate-stamped prints released for sale since his death in 2004.

"Commissioned by Magnum Photos, the book was published in cooperation with the estates of the four photographers and contains a foreword by Elliott Erwitt, renowned photographer and past president of Magnum Photos."

To find out more about Magnum Founders: In Celebration of Sixty Years, click here to visit the Verso Limited Editions website.