The magazine’s editor Darius Sanai is the co-creator of an ambitious young artist prize that rewards photographers for their portrayal of climate change issues, organized by some major art collectors. Here, he gives his opinion after the second edition of the Louis Roederer Photography Prize for Sustainable Development

It’s funny what can happen when you have time to think. At the start of the pandemic, during a curious period of clear, dry, cool and sunny weather in London, when citizens were allowed to take a walk in the park daily, under government rules, the idea of ​​the Louis Roederer Photography Prize appeared for the first time.

On some of my walks, anchored in London and wandering through Hyde Park, waving at equally trapped friends from a distance – the owner of a bank by that tree, the owner of a foundation feeding the ducks – I talked to a bright young executive at the UK branch of one of our business partners, Champagne Louis Roederer, about a new plan.

With the time for reflection afforded by the onset of the pandemic, and honed with input from the formidable Maryam Eisler, editor of one of the magazines I run, we began discussing the possibility of creating an award of art – but with a difference, and it would make a difference.

The idea was to bring together the themes of supporting young fine art photographers and raising awareness of key sustainability issues, while engaging some of the world’s most important art collectors and thought leaders on sustainability.

From left to right: Darius Sanai, Audrey Bazin; Maria Soukkar; Frederic Rouzaud; Rita Kamale, who accepted the award on behalf of M’hammed Kilito; Nadja Swarovski; Brandei Estes, 2023.

There are already many art and photography awards, many of which are highly respected and important. The difference with our more boutique award would be that it would be curated, amplified, and celebrated by important voices in the mainstream art world, including those who own large art collections themselves. And we would bring people who are making a difference in sustainability – not usually associated with the art world – to the party to help promote awareness of the issues.

One of the biggest lessons I learned in my day-to-day jobs (in addition to owning a media company, I work at Condé Nast where I’ve released over 30 titles over the past 20 years and have a sustainable development consulting firm) is that we have to get out of our silos. A major art collector is also likely to be a major investor, and all investors are aware, or should be aware, of the issues and challenges in sustainability and related fields. This was one of the main motivations for creating the Prize.

But, while we had the full commitment of the maker of Cristal, who have long pioneered sustainable farming techniques to produce their incomparable champagnes, it turned out that it took some time before we could really get started, due to the duration of the pandemic.

But eventually, we did. With the vital help of Maryam Eisler, I put together a list of talent – ​​the judges, who in turn nominated nominators, who chose photographic artists to enter the contest. We have included sustainability thought leaders in our ecosystem. The leaders of the champagne house planned the launch event to perfection.

Yasuhiro Ogawa, Snake, West Java, Indonesia (2022).

During the 18 months it took to prepare the first edition of the Prize, the planet sent us its reminders. Heat records broken in Europe, several times. The first-ever record of a tropical cyclone generated in the Mediterranean in summer. Temperatures over 20C in northern Switzerland in December. The first summer in which the Alps recorded no snow (only rapidly melting glaciers).

Fast forward to now, and we just announced the winner of the second edition of the Prize. I am impressed by the enthusiasm and commitment of our judges and nominators. The jury includes Maryam Eisler, former chair of TATE’s acquisitions committee for the Middle East and North Africa and trustee of the Whitechapel Gallery; Maria Sukkar, co-chair of the acquisitions committee of TATE Middle East and North Africa; Nadja Swarovski, collector and family luminary; Sophie Neuendorf, vice-president of ArtNet for digital; Azu Nwabogu, Founder and Director of the African Artists Foundation and the LagosPhoto Festival; Brandei Estes, Director, Head of Photography, EMEA at Sotheby’s; and Alan Lo, one of Asia’s most influential and admirable collectors and a member of the Art Basel World Patron Council.

Our nominators, hailing from all over the world, include or have included the likes of outstanding artist Shirin Neshat; investor, philanthropist and collector Nachson Mimran; philanthropist Durjoy Rahman; and Photo London founder Fariba Farshad, among many others.

As the President of the Judges, once I have nominated the other judges, I do not participate in the voting process unless there is a tie (which there is not so far) so that I can step back and revel in the quality of the artistry and the passion of our participants. The winner of the first year’s competition, which took place over nine months while lockdown restrictions were still in place in many places, was German-Ghanaian photographer Akosua Viktoria Adu-Sanya, with her stunning depictions of the effects of global warming, at Santa Inés Glacier in Patagonia, taken aboard an expedition vessel.

This year’s winner, who has just been announced, is a Moroccan photographer born in what is now Ukraine, M’hammed Kilito. He depicts with great beauty and subtlety, another pressing environmental problem, the depletion and death of his country’s underground springs, a sustainable source of water for millennia.

Mr. Guy Weston; Akosua Viktoria Adu-Sanyah, photographer and winner of the first edition of the Louis Roederer Photography Prize; Ina Sarikhani, 2022,

The top three nominees and each year’s winner have their work exhibited in the private White Box Gallery at Nobu Hotel London Portman Square. This year, we gave pride of place to the six shortlisted photographers in the current issue of LUX magazine, in which William Kentridge took over the logo, with the added bonus of a launch, with our partner Deutsche Bank, at Frieze New York. The winner also receives a cash prize from Louis Roederer.

Physically, the highlight came during a fascinating evening at the Nobu Hotel, where the prizes for the second edition of the Prize were awarded. We had a magical mix of guests. Investors mingle with collectors. Sustainability managers from large corporations, not usually associated with art exhibitions, and environmental scholars spoke with owners of art foundations and artists.

The delicious champagne and canapes leaked, but it was a party with a purpose. The problems facing our planet are too urgent to ignore. Awareness is the first step in education, which leads to action. We in the content industry have a duty to create the first two and help others execute the second.

Our judges, who have done so much to spread the word among the art collecting community around the world, are already preparing for next year’s edition of this award that exceeds its weight.

Darius Sanai is the owner of LUX Global Media and also works at Condé Nast International.

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