2025 Paris Photo–Aperture PhotoBook Awards

The awards, established in 2012, recognize excellence in three major categories of photobook publishing: First PhotoBook, PhotoBook of the Year, and Photography Catalog of the Year.

Overview

The Paris Photo–Aperture PhotoBook Awards are an annual celebration of the photobook’s enduring role within the narrative of photography. Each year, the prize recipients are selected from among nearly one thousand books submitted by artists and publishers from around the world.

The First PhotoBook Prize awards $10,000 to a photographer(s) or artist(s) whose first finished, publicly available photobook is judged to be the best of the year. Twenty books will be shortlisted in this category, presented to the jury for final selection, and exhibited during Paris Photo. The PhotoBook of the Year Prize, recognizes a photographer(s) or artist(s) and the publisher of the photobook judged to be the best of the year. Ten books will be shortlisted in this category, presented to the award jury for final selection, and exhibited during Paris Photo. Finally, the Photography Catalog of the Year Prize is awarded to the publication, publisher, and/or organizing institution responsible for the exhibition catalog or museum publication judged to be the best of the year. Five books will be shortlisted in this category, presented to the award jury for final selection, and exhibited during Paris Photo.

Practical Info

Applicants must send one copy of each submitted photobook with their submission form(s) to Aperture's offices in New York by September 5, 2025. Submissions must include the book title, year of publication, and publisher information, a short description/summary of the book and why it's being submitted to that particular category, photographer or author's name, as well as the designer and editor's names, book dimensions (width by height), number of pages, edition number or print run, a short description of where your book can be purchased or acquired, an image or render of the book cover, and an hardcopy of the book, with printed submission summary forms, to be mailed to Aperture's offices.

The thirty-five shortlisted books, accompanied by the jury’s statements, will be on view at Paris Photo. This year, in addition to being seen at Paris Photo, the shortlisted books will be exhibited at Printed Matter, New York; followed by venues to be announced.

About Paris Photo

Paris Photo is the world's largest international art fair dedicated to the photographic medium. The annual event for collectors, professionals, artists, and enthusiasts, Paris Photo offers its visitors the most qualitative and diverse selection of artworks alongside an ambitious public program with leading figures in the field.

About Aperture

Aperture is a nonprofit publisher that leads conversations around photography worldwide. From our base in New York, Aperture connects global audiences and supports artists through our acclaimed quarterly magazine, books, exhibitions, digital platforms, public programs, limited-edition prints, and awards. Established in 1952 to advance “creative thinking, significantly expressed in words and photographs,” Aperture champions photography’s vital role in nurturing curiosity and encouraging a more just, tolerant society.