Photojournalism nominee

The story that follows corresponds to a story of love and friendship with a group of Cambodian scavengers that I portrayed over 3 years. To do so, many times I stayed where the scavengers stayed, lived as they lived , ate what they ate, helped them with their scavenging tasks and managed to bring them donations, all of which helped me to become one more of them and well accepted by their community.
When I first committed myself into portraying in an artistic and fine art way a scavenger community in Cambodia, many thought that it was an impossible task, as if somehow the poverty and the sadness stigma would always be present, extinguishing the artistic and the dignity fine artistic perspective I had initially sought for.
When I thought about portraying them following the aesthetical conception in which the Barbizon school of painters in France (1830-1870) depicted the daily scenes of peasants and with their dramatic use of light and compositions, I was even less understood.
Today, and after three years, I do not believe so; I believe there is beauty, happiness, dignity and color within poverty, I believe that sometimes there is art within devastation.

Javier Sanchez-Monge Escardo

2014
3 GOLD MEDALS PRIX DE PARIS AND 1 BRONZE
(BRONZE) Press Feature Story at the Prix de Paris Awards 2014 and 3 honorable mentions.
4 HONORABLE MENTIONS ND Awards (2014).3 HONORABLE MENTIONS (IPA 2014).
2015
3 HONORABLE MENTIONS Monochrome Awards 2015, 3 HONORABLE MENTIONS IPA one shot awards 2015 Works exhibited during the Month of Photography, Los Angeles by the LUCIE FOUNDATION. 7 IPA 2015, 4 HONORABLE MENTIONS Prix de Paris White Awards 2015.6 HONORABLE MENTIONS Prix de Paris Awards annual competition 2015 2 HONORABLE MENTIONS ND AWARDS 2015
IPA 2015 SECOND PLACE Award Category Event Culture and traditions.
IPA THIRD PLACE AWARD Awards Category Portraiture, Children.
PRIX DE PARIS 2015 SILVER MEDAL Environmental Press category.
PRIX DE PARIS 2015 BRONZE MEDAL Portraits category.
GOLD ND AWARDS 2015 People.
GOLD ND AWARDS 2015 Editorial, Environmental.
HONORABLE MENTION SIPA 2015,FINALIST SIPA 2016, 3 TIMES FINALIST NOMINEE FAPA ,GOLD IPOTY AWARDS.
2016 IPA WINNER SECOND DEEPER PERSPECTIVE
2016 IPA WINNER THIRD DEEPER PERSPECTIVE
2016 IPA WINNER SECOND EDITORIAL, OTHER.
2016 IPA PHILIPPINES WINNER GOLD
2016 IPA PHILIPPINES WINNER SILVER
2016 IPA PHILIPPINES WINNER BRONZE
2016 IPA PHILIPPINES WINNER BRONZE
2016 1 GOLD, 2 BRONZE TOKYO AWARDS (TIFA)3 HM