MOSCOW, March 28 (RIA Novosti) - Two RIA Novosti photographers, Alexei Kudenko and Valery Melnikov, have taken home the silver and bronze medals, respectively, at this year’s China International Press Photo Contest.

This is the fourth time RIA Novosti photographers have made it onto the podium of this world-famous photography competition, this year held in Hangzhou, China.

“China is today a leading country in press photography and contemporary photography,” RIA Novosti’s Photo Director, Anna Shpakova, said. “Which makes all the more significant the fact that the contest’s jury has honored two of our photographers.”

Kudenko won the silver medal in the category Nature & Environment, for a series of photos entitled “Road to Nowhere,” showing the everyday life of the Evens, a small ethnic group totaling just 22,000 people, according to the latest Russian census data.

Based in Russia’s Eastern Siberia, the Evens used to lead a nomadic lifestyle. But in the mid-20th century, they were forced to radically change their ways and settle down in villages. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, they faced serious unemployment and social welfare problems. The Evens came to realize that the only way for them to survive in the harsh conditions of Siberia, far from civilization, was to rediscover their roots. And so they resumed their traditional lifestyle and took up traditional occupations, such as reindeer breeding. Kudenko’s images tell the story of the Even’s demanding friend – Nature.

Melnikov picked up the bronze in the War & Hardship category, for photos of displaced Syrians forced to leave their war-torn country and seek refuge in neighboring Lebanon.

He gathered the material for his photo report, “A Lead Needle,” in December 2012, during a trip as part of a RIA Novosti team to the Lebanese towns of Bar Elias and Arsal, where many of the displaced Syrians are living in refugee camps. More than 100,000 refugees have now fled Syria for safer countries. Scarce food and accommodation are among the main difficulties they face. Many have to contend with extremely poor living conditions.

“Thanks to his visual artistic skills, Melnikov has managed to capture with remarkable precision the tragedy of developments in and around Syria,” said Huang Wen, Executive Deputy Secretary General of the Chinese Photo Journalists Guild. “Kudenko’s images are visually beautiful and they offer a convincing depiction of the life of a small ethnic community in the faraway Siberia. They’ve won the hearts of a majority in the jury panel.”

The China International Press Photo Contest (CHIPP) is an annual photo contest organized by the Chinese Photo Journalists Guild. It offers a platform for photographers and photo journalists from across the world to show their work and exchange creative ideas and views, which in turns strengthens professional and cultural ties as well as friendship.

The CHIPP contest awards prizes in eight categories.