War Games, The Baltic Sea

• Prize
• Photographer
  Mikolaj Nowacki, Poland
• Studio
  -
• Website
  http://mikolajnowacki.com
• Instagram
  https://www.instagram.com/mikolajnowacki/

I have always been intrigued by the Polish navy. As
a child, I often traveled with my parents to the
seaside and remember my fascination with the
ominous shapes of the grey battleships as they sat
on the horizon. I often heard sounds of faraway
explosions. I knew that these were war games. My
first ever complete sentence was said by the Baltic
Sea and it was "look dad a ship is flowing by". After
political transformation in 1989, the Polish navy
underwent huge changes, it is now part of NATO.
This personal project is an attempt to understand
the work of Polish naval sailors on battleships during
war games on the Baltic Sea.

Mikolaj Nowacki (b.1972, Poland) received his Master’s degree in International Law, pursuing a doctoral thesis that examined environmental aspects of International Space Law. He discontinued his doctorate to focus on documentary photography and worked eight years for major Polish newspapers. His work has been published in the Polish editions of National Geographic and Newsweek and also in The New York Times Lens Blog, CNN Photos, Le Monde, Neue Zürcher Zeitung and The Sunday Times Magazine among others. Mikolaj has won numerous awards and was a finalist in a number of Polish professional photography contests. He was also nominee in Prix Pictet, was a finalist in Sony World Photography Awards, achieved Special Mention in Winephoto International Photo Competition and in the NPPA Best of Photojournalism.
In 2013 he finished his two year Mentor Program with VII Photo with Antonin Kratochvil followed by a solo exhibition “Odra” at the VII gallery in New York. His "Odra" was also exhibited in China during the Xishangbanna Photo Festival, Nowacki was awarded there with the Nomination for the Best Photographers.
He is based in Wroclaw, Poland.

Awards 2020 – National Geographic Poland, Photographer of the Month.

2019 – The Elements: Water, Group Exhibition, National Geographic Poland Photographers, Old Mine (Stara Kopalnia) Science and Art Center, Walbrzych, Poland.

2019 – Grand Press Photo, Poland–Second Prize, Documentary Long Term Project.

2019 – Grand Press Photo, Poland–Third Place, Sports Category, Singles.

2018– Outdoor Photographer of the Year 2017, Winner .

2018 – Outdoor Photographer of the Year 2017, First Prize.

2018 – Grand Press Photo, Poland, Finalist.

2017– BZWBK Press Photo, Poland, First Prize, Nature Category, Singles.

2015 – Selected as a Panasonic Lumix European Ambassador.

2014 – Odra book is published to critical acclaim.

2014 – Grand Press Photo, Poland, Finalist, Stories.

2014 – BZWBK Press Photo, Poland, First Place, Stories.

2014 – BZWBK Press Photo, Poland, Third Place, Singles.

2014 – NPPA Best of Photojournalism, Honorable Mention, Singles.

2014 – Sony World Photography Awards, Finalist, Story.

2014 – Odra Exhibition – Xishuangbanna Photo Festival, China. Nominated, Best Photographers of the Festival.

2013 – National Geographic Photo Contest, Polish Edition, Special Mention, Singles.

2013 – National Geographic Photo Contest, Polish Edition, Special Mention, Story.

2013 – „Odra” Solo Exhibition at VII Gallery, New York, New York.

2013 – i.conography – Group Exhibition with VII Photo Agency, Photo Festival Queretaro 2013, Museum of Art Queretaro, Mexico.

2012 – Wine Photo, International Photo Contest, Italy– Special Mention, story.

2012 – Prix Pictet Award, Nominee.

2012 – Grand Press Photo, Poland– finalist.

2011– iSee – Group Exhibition with VII Photo Agency at the Griffin Museum of Photography in Boston, Massachusetts, United States.

2011– 2013 Mentor Program, VII Photo Agency.

2010 – BZWBK Press Photo, Poland, First Prize, Story.

2010 – Grand Press Photo, Poland, Third Prize, Singles.

2009 – BZWBK Press Photo, Poland, Second Prize, Singles.