For its eighth edition, the Maison Ruinart Prize is awarded to French photographer Philippe Jarrigeon. As part of Maison Ruinart’s patronage programme, the Prize recognises a photographer selected from the emerging sector of Paris Photo, who is then invited to take up a residency in Champagne.

With Le Vrai du Faux, his series created in the summer of 2026, Philippe Jarrigeon explores the dialogue between the mineral and vegetal elements that shape the Champagne landscape. Fascinated by the Faux de Verzy, the region’s enigmatic trees with their twisted silhouettes, he transforms them into fantastical presences, as though illuminated from within. Trees, flowers and shells become the protagonists of a world where natural realms and forms blur into one another. Through playful and poetic staging, the photographer awakens a nature that invites dreams and the imagination. Le Vrai du Faux offers an unexpected vision of Champagne, where reality is transformed to reveal its more wondrous side.

Born in France, Philippe Jarrigeon graduated from ECAL, where he has taught since 2008. His work has been exhibited at international institutions and festivals, including the Hyères Festival, Fotomuseum Winterthur and Paris Photo. He collaborates with leading magazines, fashion and luxury houses, and artists. Co-founder of Dorade, winner of a Swiss Design Award, he published PLAY in 2021. In 2026, he presents Rocher Fatal at Paris Photo and receives the Ruinart Prize.