All photos © Jason Larkin/Panos

Jason Larkin won the 2011 Arnold Newman Prize for New Directions in Photographic Portraiture, awarded to a winner in the PDN Photo Annual, for his series “Past Perfect.” It’s Larkin’s examination of Egypt’s museums, which preserve the country’s history and archaeology for tourists and also show in their architecture and design the continuing influence of British and French colonialism. In addition to a cash prize, Larkin won a three-month exhibition at the Farnsworth Art Museum in Rockland, Maine. In the artist’s statement that accompanied the show, Larkin explained, “The open-air museums of ancient Egypt promoted the world’s first package holidays, drawing visitors to celebrate and interpret the country’s complex history.” Larkin, a British documentary photographer represented by Panos Pictures, told PDN that he’s interested in exploring “the stories behind the stories.”  All photos © Jason Larkin/Panos

Entries to the 2012 PDN Photo Annual are still being accepted through February 24.

Above: One of the many bowab’s (caretakers) for the Agricultural Museum in Cairo takes a rest in the natural history room.

Above: Two Egyptian women study a painting depicting a large battle in the Military Museum. Housed in the Citadel, it features weapons and costumes from Egyptian warfare as well as life-size simulations depicting several of Egypt’s key battles.