RCA International Photojournalism Award 2024

The Romano Cagnoni Award, an international prize dedicated to photojournalism, was born in 2019 in memory of the multifaceted ability to narrate the world by the photographer Romano Cagnoni (1935-2018).

Overview

Directed by Benedetta Donato, the award is promoted by the Fondazione Romano Cagnoni, in collaboration with Photolux – International Festival of Photography. It is held every two years with the aim of supporting photographers who investigate, with depth and participation, topics related to the human condition, social and environmental change, humanitarian crises and the violation of human rights in the world.

Practical Info

The theme proposed for the 2024 edition is Roots. At a time when the very roots of photojournalism are being challenged by new technologies, it is essential to enhance the photographic story as an authentic narrative on specific situations and events, it can illuminate circumstances and create awareness in public opinion on issues of fundamental importance.

Selected by an international jury, the winner will receive a prize of € 5,000, a sculpture symbol of the RCA realized by the internationally recognized artist and sculptor Armen Agop (Cairo, Egypt, 1969), which will be given in the presence to the author, an exhibition produced and shown during the Photolux Festival and the publication of the work in the official catalogue of the event. The Award also provides for the assignment of special mentions and the publication of one of the finalist works indicated in the shortlist, in the Internazionale magazine. The winner project will be exhibited during the Photolux Festival in Lucca, as part of the edition 2024 - from 23 November to 15 December 2024 - with an exhibition produced by the Romano Cagnoni Foundation, curated by Benedetta Donato - Director of the Romano Cagnoni Award. Theorganization will provide the author with accomodation and meals for the dates on which the winner is expected to be present; a fixed contribution of € 300 to support travel expenses A/R will be granted.

The projects presented by the authors may have already been completed or in progress. In the case of completed projects, these must refer to works started after 2020. In the case of projects still in progress, there must be at least 1/3 of the photographs taken in the period 2022-2023. Applicants must submit 15-20 Images accompanied by captions, a synopsis about the project submitted, and a biography of the photographer. All texts must be written in English.

Jury members are Elena Boille (Internazionale Magazine), Antonio Carloni (Gallerie d’Italia Torino), Jim Casper (LensCulture), Gloria Crespo MacLennan (El Pais), Patricia Franceschetti Cagnoni (Fondazione Romano Cagnoni, RCA Jury President), Carol Körting (LFI – Leica Fotografie International Magazine) and Steven Lee (Exposure Plus Photo Festival).

About Romano Cagnoni

Romano Cagnoni (1935-2018) was an internationally recognized and award-winning photographer, one of the most important of the twentieth century. His photographs were published on the covers and front pages of nearly all the most significant newspapers and magazines in Europe and the United States. He is most famous for his documentation of global wars and conflicts. Throughout his career he produced intellectually stimulating images that demonstrated the condition of our existence and also our hopes to change it.