illy has announced the finalists of its 2011 AuthentiCity photography contest as a follow-up to the last year’s inaugural competition, launched the coffee brand in partnership with the NYC-based School of Visual Arts (SVA). In its second year, the project is again encouraging emerging talents to come up with their visual personal interpretations of the big city and discover its unique sprit. The jury panel selected Phil Kline, Jessica Miller and David Rapoport as this year’s finalists—in 2010, there were five people, and they have been commissioned with the task to create new pieces of work, which will help the judges to select the winner.

Image: Times Square by David Rapoport

The Italian coffee brand is obviously in love with one of most diverse and enchanting cities of the U.S.—New York. The theme of competition is revolving around it— last year, the entrants were “revealing purity and authenticity in urban life”, and this year participants have been “discovering new urban lifestyles.” In March, young visual artists, students or alumni of SVA, have been encouraged to go on exploring the metropolis and use “photography as a means of discovering new lifestyles, social dynamics and ways of interacting with the city.”

Image: Danny by Jessica Miller

The three finalists were selected by the judging panel, which included representatives of ILKO Coffee International, illycaffè, SVA and Elisabeth Biondi, visuals editor of The New Yorker, from more than 200 entrants. Kline, Miller and Rapoport were awarded with $3,000 each and now are asked to continue their visual investigation of the city culture and create a new body of work under the contest theme—they don’t have much time, since the new visuals will be also on view at the exhibit in New York from July 8-27 at the SVA Gallery, where the grand winner will be announced. He or she will receive additional $10,000, just like the winner of the 2010 competition Igor Aronov, who crated photo series ‘Reflection of the City.’

Image: Alone by Phil Kline

Below are the vibrant and videos about the finalists, who tell about their works for the project as well as personal attitudes towards photography and life in general. For more works, go to illy issimo’s global flickr’s photostream.