Hong Kong Photobook Dummy Award 2027

The Hong Kong Photobook Dummy Award grants HKD$20,000 to photographers, artists and designers for self-published or unpublished photobook dummies, with shortlisted works exhibited internationally.

Overview

The Photobook Dummy Award is one of the highlights of the Hong Kong Photobook Festival, which aims to support emerging artists and provide them with opportunities to showcase their work at international festivals. Thanks to the support of various partners, selected dummies from previous years have been toured and exhibited in numerous places, including New Zealand, Germany, India, Indonesia, Taiwan, Brazil, Switzerland, Norway and Thailand.

The jury will shortlist at most 15 finalists in the first round, from which three prize recipients will be selected. All finalists' works will be exhibited at the Hong Kong Photobook Festival 2027, where prize recipients can have professional exchange with the jury and share their creation process with the participating audience.

The prize recipient of the First Prize of Photobook Dummy will be granted a maximum subsidy of HKD$20,000 for participation in the visit of international photobook festivals or for self-published photobooks.

In addition to the Photobook Dummy Award, the Photozine Award was established in 2025 with two categories: Open and Student. The theme for the 2027 Photozine Award is Hong Kong. Ten finalists from each category will be shortlisted, with three prize recipients selected from each. Selected artists of the First Prize of Photozine will be granted a maximum subsidy of HKD$3,000 per category for participation in international photobook festivals or for self-published photozines.

Practical Info

The Photobook Dummy Award is open to photographers, artists, designers and all creative talents worldwide, with no specific age or nationality limits. The photobook dummy can be done individually or collectively and must be original. It must be self-published or unpublished and cannot be published by any registered publisher or committed to being published by any other publisher. The dummy can be presented in any language and must be created on or after 1 January 2024.

The Photozine Award is open to photographers, artists, designers and all creative talents. The Open Category has no age or nationality limits, while the Student Category is open to full-time students only, who must upload student identity cards or other proof. The photozine must be original, not exceed 32 pages, be self-published or unpublished, and created on or after 1 January 2026. All photozines must address the theme Hong Kong.

Applicants may apply for both awards, but each work is only eligible for one award's application. Each applicant can submit only one entry per award. The application fee is waived; shipping costs are covered by applicants and are not refundable.

Applications open 1 October 2026 and close 31 January 2027 at 18:00 Hong Kong Time. Applicants must complete an online registration form and submit a physical copy of their work by post or in person to HKPBF c/o LUMO, 12/F., Foo Tak Building, 365 Hennessy Road, Wanchai, Hong Kong. Finalists will be announced in April 2027 and prize recipients in May 2027. Shortlisted applicants must submit a second physical copy within 21 days after the shortlist announcement.

About Hong Kong Photobook Festival

To promote photobook culture, Hong Kong Photobook Festival was founded by Lumenvisum in 2020. The Festival aims to connect photographers, artists and a diverse range of publishers and independent groups from all over the world, and serves as a supporter of emerging artists to gain exposure in the field of contemporary photography.