Ela Polkowska moved to Sweden from Poland four years ago and is educated at HDK Valand. "Splinter" takes place in her old homeland in a family living in "a house that should have collapsed a long time ago". Existence is chaotic, but the family has created something resembling a layer of things in the building.
"In the worn-out and chaotic outskirts of society, Polkowska captures traces of the human where nothing is unambiguous", writes the jury in its motivation and calls her "a brave photographer".
The prize amount is 40,000 kronor and the other nominees for the prize receive 10,000 kronor each. The prize was established in 1995 and is awarded by the Swedish Photographers' Association.
"'Splinter' is my first photo book and that it is being noticed feels fantastic", says Ela Polkowska in a press release.
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