Vincitori del premio ‘Driving Energy’ nella fotografia Terna

Terna, the national electricity grid operator, has announced the winners of the second edition of the ‘Driving Energy – Contemporary Photography Award’, a free competition open to all photographers in Italy, aimed at promoting and developing the country’s culture and new talents in the industry. The best interpreters of this year’s theme, ‘Praise of Balance’, are five predominantly female authors: Dione Roach for the Senior Award, Martina Zanin for the Young Award, Beatrice Aiello (Ied – European Design Institute, Rome) for the Academy Mention. They are joined by Antonio Vacirca, who wins the Amateurs Award, and Lorenzo Pipi, whose work was voted the most by Terna’s people, over 5,600, the ‘largest jury in Italy’. The winning and finalist works are now on display at Palazzo Esposizioni in Rome and can be visited for free until Sunday, October 15th.

The Terna photography award is growing more and more, as shown by the data presented today during the announcement of the winners. Over 2,800 people, aged 19 to 89, from 107 provinces and all 20 Italian regions, participated in the second edition of the ‘Driving Energy – Contemporary Photography Award’. “The remarkable results of the 2023 Award – emphasizes Terna’s president, Igor De Biasio – confirm the goodness of Terna’s choice to promote a cultural project for the benefit of the country. The quantity and quality of the participation express a clear message: the willingness to work together for contemporary Italian photography, and to do so with commitment, passion, and creativity. And with that dose of courage that is always needed.”

For Terna, explains De Biasio, “culture is a national asset but also an economic value. Italy is a cultural symbol in the world and therefore investing in culture is a natural choice for Terna, also because it contributes to the growth of the economy.” Culture, De Biasio adds, “is the most beautiful form of renewable energy and it also needs to be connected. It is Terna’s way of doing things: connecting and creating a virtuous circle. Photography needs support to regain its centrality and that’s what Terna is doing.”

Now more than ever, emphasizes Giuseppina Di Foggia, CEO and General Manager of Terna, “it is important for citizens and families to know that behind the energy they use every day there is Terna, with its leading role in the energy transition. The Driving Energy Award is an important tool in this sense: it helps us to make known what we do. And it does so by respecting criteria and values that guide our activities, even in the field of culture.”

The Terna Award, points out Marco Delogu, Curator of the Award and President of Palaexpo, “is becoming increasingly important and a turning point in the lives of photographers. Photography needs to be supported, as Terna does, and encouraged to regain its centrality in the arts. We are at the final stage of the second edition of the Award: the results achieved, not our personal opinions, confirm that the project has achieved its objectives. The Driving Energy Award is undoubtedly an important and recognized event in the sector and a reference point for the entire community of photographers in Italy”, explains Delogu, who remembered Andrea Purgatori, the journalist who passed away on July 19, 2023, and who was a member of the jury: “A man who was very important both for culture and for Italian journalism.” His son, Edoardo Purgatori, present at the ceremony, remembered his father: “The theme of the award, ‘Praise of Balance, a dialogue between the arts’, reminds me of him. He raised us encouraging us to find a balance between soul-heart and mind. It was the compass he left us. Andrea Purgatori was always in search of the truth and in his career, he walked like a tightrope walker, often alone. A journey he made not for himself but for those who seek the truth.”

Ornella Segnalini, Councilor for Public Works and Infrastructure of the Municipality of Rome, also remembered Andrea Purgatori and stressed the importance of the Award. “A beautiful initiative that is growing, as shown by the 2,800 participants this year.” Simona Renata Baldassarre, Councilor for Culture, Equal Opportunities, Youth Policies, and Family of the Lazio Region, also expressed satisfaction with the Award: “It’s nice to participate in this event that reminds us of the power of art and culture, which are an engine to reach everywhere.”

The 5 winning works of the 2023 Award, which receive prizes totaling €29,000, and the other 36 finalists, were evaluated by the Curator, Marco Delogu, and the Jury, composed of high-profile technical and artistic figures, chaired by Lorenza Bravetta, curator of the Photography, Cinema and New Media sector at La Triennale di Milano, supported by the Award’s Presidency Committee, composed of Igor De Biasio and Giuseppina Di Foggia, respectively President and CEO of Terna. This year, the Award’s Governance also involved the Honorary Committee, composed of the five winners of the 2022 Award (Paolo Ventura, Gaia Renis, Mohamed Keita, Eva Frapiccini, and Andrea Botto), who, together with the Jury, evaluated the works of the students to award the Academy Mention.

The 2023 Award exhibition, realized in collaboration with Azienda Speciale Palaexpo, is now presented in the digital universe in three versions, in order to increase the access points and ways of enjoying the works: Metaverse, the new free Pde (Driving Energy Award) app, and a virtual tour, accessible from the official website of the Award, https://premiodrivingenergy.terna.it/. The selected works are also published in the photographic volume ‘Driving Energy’, which serves as the official catalog of the Award.