APhF Dummy Award feat. Chose Commune

One selected artist will publish their photobook with the publishing house Chose Commune, along with a production budget of up to €15,000.

Overview

The APhF Dummy Award feat. Chose Commune is a juried competition open to all unpublished photobooks worldwide. Through the competition, one individual will be selected as the winner and receive a publishing contract with the publishing house Chose Commune. In addition, 10 photobooks will be covered at the APhF print catalog and 20 books will be shortlisted and exhibited during the APhF in Athens in June/July 2026. All selected photobooks will appear online in the APhF Library. The shortlisted books are selected by a five-member jury, specialized in photobooks and photography internationally.

Practical Info

Submissions must be sent through the online entry form. Applicants must also send one physical copy of their submitted dummy book alongside the submission form, ensuring it is postmarked no later than 28 April 2026. The book should be sent to the following address: Hellenic Center of Photography, Stratigou Kontouli 3, 117 42 Athens – Greece. Information required for each photobook submitted includes the photobook title, photographer name, year of publication, publisher, designer and/or editor information, a description of the project, a short biography, photobook dimensions, number of pages, and the edition number or print run. A digital version of the photobook dummy in PDF format and an image of the photobook cover are also required.

The prize recipient will receive a contract with Chose Commune for the production of a photobook, with a production budget of up to €15,000 (minimum print run: 400 copies). Additionally, the selected work will be included in the next edition of the Athens Photo Festival main exhibition program at the Benaki Museum / Pireos 138, in Athens, Greece.

Furthermore, 10 shortlisted photobooks will be featured in the APhF printed catalog, 20 shortlisted photobooks will be presented in the APhF Dummy Award feat. Chose Commune exhibition at the Benaki Museum / Pireos 138 in June - July 2026. All submitting artists will receive complimentary entry tickets to APhF:26 and all books will be housed in the Athens Photo Research Center Library.

The jury comprises Cécile Sayuri Poimboeuf-Koizumi (Publisher, Chose Commune), Marta Weiss (Curator of Photography, Victoria and Albert Museum), Katy Hundertmark (Curator and Editor, Foam), and Sylvia Sachini (Curator, APhF Book Program).

About Athens Photo Festival

Founded in 1987 on the initiative of the late Stavros Moresopoulos, the festival began as the International Month of Photography in Athens. It is Greece’s longest-running photography festival and one of the oldest internationally. In 2008, it adopted the name Athens Photo Festival, reflecting an expanded scope and a programme that has grown to include a wider range of programs responsive to contemporary social and aesthetic contexts.

Over nearly four decades, the festival has remained committed to advancing photography and lens-based practice in Greece, while serving as a vital meeting point for contemporary photography—connecting artists, audiences, and ideas.

About Chose Commune

Chose Commune is a French publishing house based in Marseille, run by French/Japanese co-founder Cécile Poimbœuf-Koizumi since its creation in 2014. Driven by the desire to discover — or rediscover — the works of lesser known figures on the international scene, Chose Commune curates, designs, edits and publishes artists’ books in the fields of photography, works on paper and ceramics.

Each of their books is published with the idea of existing “on its own” — designed in close collaboration with the artist and always carefully crafted, they are the result of an encounter and an independent research, and embody our commitment to supporting and distributing unique and essential work.