Jen Bekman Projects congratulates the 2009 First Edition Hot Shots!

After much deliberation and careful consideration, we are pleased to announce the five Hot Shots selected from the 2009 First Edition competition:

Michelle Arcila
Daniel Cheek
Mike Sinclair
Parsley Steinweiss
Kurt Tong

These five outstanding photographers will each be awarded a $500 honorarium and participate in a group show at Jen Bekman Gallery. The 2009 First Edition Hey, Hot Shot! opening reception and exhibition dates are to be announced.

The show marks just the beginning of new opportunities for these photographers. They will automatically be considered for Ne Plus Ultra status, along with the next five Hot Shots in the 2009 Second Edition, to possibly join ranks with recently announced Ultras, Hosang Park and Colleen Plumb, as JBG represented artists. We're looking forward to many collaborations and projects with these photographers at the gallery and 20x200.

We've said it once, but we'll say it again: this edition's contenders were all so strong that choosing only five photographers was an incredibly daunting task. It couldn't have been done without the dedication of our brilliant panelists: Jen Bekman, Christine Collins, Dana Faconti, Caterina Fake, Stephen Frailey, Raul Gutierrez, Darius Himes, Jenni Holder, Julia Leach, Nion McEvoy, Lesley A. Martin, Kent Rogowski, Stefan Ruiz and Jeffrey Teuton.

We'd also like to note some honorable mentions; all of these photographers are creating exceptional work and we're honored they entered Hey, Hot Shot!

Noah Addis
Mary Ellen Bartley
Marion Belanger
Joerg Brueggemann
Nelson Chan
Philip Cheung
Victor Cobo
Maury Gortemiller
Nicholas Johnson
Liz Kuball
Shane Lavalette
Jonathan Levitt
Patrick Lyn
Areca S. Roe
Bryan Schutmaat
Anne Schwalbe
Kimberly Sikora
Corinne Silva
Ryan Steele
Chris Taylor
Lacey Terrell

While only the five Hot Shots will exhibit at the gallery, look for work from these photographers and several other contenders in upcoming 20x200 editions. We'll also post about a few more photographers that we didn't have a chance to write about in the last few weeks right here. Keep an eye on us on Facebook, Flickr and Twitter for more great work, notes and news about the next round of competition!