Edward Burtynsky wins TED Prize 2004


Portrait by Timothy Greenfield Saunders, 2001

Monterey, CA, February 25, 2005

BURTYNSKY REVEALS WORLD-CHANGING WISHES IN TED PRIZE ACCEPTANCE

Canadian photo-artist Edward Burtynsky presents three wishes to TED conference audience
and accepts $100,000 as one of three inaugural winners of TED Prize.

Also presenting wishes at the TED Conference in Monterey, California were fellow winners
Medical technologies pioneer Robert Fischell, and acclaimed musician and activist Bono.
Granted $100,000 and the opportunity to team with several major companies pledging to help
the recipients fulfill the wishes, winners were instructed to wish for anything as they were
informed of the prize in September 2004, “Think big. Be Creative. No restrictions.”

In his first wish, Burtynsky proposed that he would use his artwork to persuade millions of
people to join a productive global conversation about sustainability. Burtynsky plans to launch a
media campaign developed with help from design guru Stefan Sagmeister this Earth Day, April
22nd . The campaign will encourage millions to contribute to a worldwide discussion in progress
about sustainable living on the increasingly popular weblog www.worldchanging.com.

Burtynsky’s goal for wish two is to raise environmental consciousness in grade school kids; to
empower them to propose solutions and act upon them. He announced that he would launch a
ground-breaking competition throughout North American primary schools called “In My World”
challenging kids to invent new ideas in sustainable living.

In wish three, Burtynsky questioned how to extend his artwork’s environment-oriented subject
matter to an audience that wouldn’t normally visit galleries and museums where his work is
normally viewed. To achieve this, Mr. Burtynsky wishes to learn how to translate his work to film
format in order to make an Imax film.

TED Community members have been invited to contribute their ideas and resources to help
make the wishes come true; Burtynsky’s entire prize winnings will go toward realizing the
wishes.

This is the first time the TED Community has offered this landmark award. TED, an acronym for
Technology, Entertainment, Design, is a conference where 50 speakers offer their greatest
ideas, inventions and passions to an audience of critical thinkers.

More details about TED, the TED Prize and the Sapling Foundation are at www.ted.com.
More details about Burtynsky's TED Prize wishes can be found here.

Press Contact:
Anna Withrow
(416) 516.2174
anna.withrow@sympatico.ca

All images on this site are © Edward Burtynsky