Leonora Hamill and Eric Pillot were selected from a long-list of 500 entrants and a shortlist of 13 photographers chosen by art historian Rafael Doctor Roncero.

The winners will see their work published by Actes Sud later this year, and their images will go on show across France in four planned exhibitions. HSBC will also purchase at least six of the winning images for its private art collection, guaranteeing a €5000 cash prize to the laureates.

Hamill was chosen for her work Art in Progress, which is a "study of the human condition," says Roncero. In recent years, Hamill has been cataloguing and photographing classrooms and places where people learn about art. "In her work, the collective aspect of artistic labour in its learning phase is predominant, which goes against the general preconception of an isolated and independent artist," adds Roncero.

Pillot has received the HSBC Award for his work In Situ."Pillot portrays the desolation of these animals that are so close to us. At the same time, he looks for their confrontational stares - stares that we can't escape since there is no logical justification for the cruel spaces [we lock these animals in]."

For more information about Eric Pillot and Leonora Hamill, visit www.ericpillot.com and www.leonorahamill.com.

Image © Leonora Hamill, Prix HSBC pour la Photographie.

Image © Leonora Hamill, Prix HSBC pour la Photographie.

Image © Eric Pillot, Prix HSBC pour la Photographie.