In 1987 Chen won the Chinese Writers 'and Artists' Association photography prize for "The Ecology of Insects." In 1989 he won the Chung Shan Educational and Cultural Foundation prize in photography for "In Praise of Wild Wood," which featured his photographs of juniper trees. He was gaining recognition as one of the best young photographers.
一九八七年陳炳元以《昆蟲生態》，獲中國文藝協會生態攝影獎章，八九年又以《荒木讚歌》玉山圓柏荒木攝影，獲頒中山文藝創作攝影獎，被譽為年輕攝影家中的佼佼者。