Miles Astray's flamingo photo initially won two awards in the AI category of the 1839 Awards before being disqualified. It won third place and the People's Vote Award in the AI category.
The main reason Miles Astray submitted a real photo in the AI category of the 1839 Awards was to prove that human-generated art still has an impact in a world of algorithms and to challenge the notion that AI-generated images could overshadow the value and recognition of human creativity in photography. Astray wanted to provoke thought and contribute to the dialogue on the place of human artistry in the era of advanced technology.
Miles Astray's photo was disqualified from the AI category of the 1839 Awards because it was not generated by AI, but was actually a real photograph taken by a human. Astray submitted his flamingo photo in the AI category to prove that human-generated art still has an impact in a world of algorithms. Despite winning third place and people's choice honors for AI photography, the organizers disqualified his entry after he revealed that it was a real photo.