The People of Qeqertat

Photographer

sebastian copeland
Prize

Honorable Mention
Company/Studios

Sebastian Copeland Photography
Date of Photograph

May 2022
Technical Info

Canon 5Dsr with Zeiss Opus 55mm and 85mm f/1.4
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Qeqertat is the most remote village in northern Greenland. Perched deep inside a fjord, villagers fish and hunt with the help of dog teams. Only 12 people live there year-round. With no cell reception or internet, the community is sustained entirely by the land. In May 2022, I travelled there with a dog sled to document the community and make formal portraits. With such a vulnerable demographic, it is hard to imagine how villages like Qeqertat would survive the march of time. The appeal of modern amenities and jobs lures the new generation away from their hunting culture and tradition.

Biography

Sebastian Copeland is a photographer, polar explorer and climate researcher. In 2017, Copeland was named one of the world's top 25 adventurers of the last 25 years. Noted as a photographer “who has produced works that are of outstanding artistic merit and communicates messages of urgent global significance,” Copeland has led numerous expeditions to document at risk environments. He is a fellow of The Explorers Club and sits on the Board of President Gorbachev’s NGO Global Green. His books have sold in over 70 countries. In 2019, Copeland was knighted by French President Macron.
Awards

- 2022 Knighted in the French Order of Arts & Letters - 2019 Knighted by French President Emmanuel Macron in the National Order of Merit - 2018 Bambi Award from Burda Publishing, Germany in the “Unsere Erde” (“Our Earth”) category - 2018 Medal of Light – presented by the cultural Minister of Thailand in Bangkok - 2017 Named one of the Top 25 Adventurers of the last 25 years by Men’s Journal magazine - 2016 International Eckart Witzigmann & BMW Award -- Responsible Engagement - 2016 Tokyo Int'l Award --Photographer of the Year in the book category - 2014 Green Good Design Award --The Chicago Athenaeum Museum of Architecture & Design - 2010 Gala Award Germany – Environmental Stewardship - 2009 Global Green—Founders Award - 2009 Commendation for Public Service from the City of West Hollywood - 2008 German GQ Man Of The Year—Engagement