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"It tells you a lot about life during the pandemic: self-isolation, physical distancing, shrinking social space. But yet, Prarthna Singh manages to find a beautiful moment during this frustrating time. The result is an engaging contrast: the bird-view angle that strengthens the feeling of solitude and distant even in a domestic scene, while the color composition—the pink dress, roof and fence; plus the green grass sprinkled by flower petals—creates a poetic, happy tone." - Cristian Rahadiansyah
"Prarthna Singh’s photograph of her mother in her garden practicing her daily exercise during lockdown perfectly encapsulates how we lived during the pandemic. While masterful in the way it was photographed, the image goes beyond the vernacular in that it feels almost otherworldly. Singh’s mother appears to almost be floating from the perspective in which the image was taken, and the color pink flows through the image from the walls to the lighting to the flower petals that are scattered on the lawn." - Alana Celii
"I’m deeply moved by Prarthna’s image titled “Mother.” This ordinary moment seems to transcend space and time with its exquisite lighting and perspective. In many ways, this simple moment captures the feeling of lockdown during the pandemic. It’s disorienting and the sense of longing is palpable. The way the color pink vibrates throughout the image is striking and adds to the complexity. I am truly in awe of how all the different elements work together to elevate mobile photography to a different dimension." - Sara Urbaez
"It’s a simple candid family moment, but the overall tone and ambience feel like a painting or a movie storyboard. What surprises me, Stephanie Noritz created it remotely using a mobile phone. I believe lots of people will enjoy this photograph—it’s one of those alluring images which you can simply enjoy without understanding the context (it was taken during lockdown). Although I also believe some will wonder about the process behind it and (if any) the filter that Noritz uses." - Cristian Rahadiansyah
"This image is so well deserving of recognition, for its nuances and beauty that invite the viewer to reflect on representation. Through lighting and placement, each person in the image stands well on their own but is also seamlessly interwoven, showing the interconnectivity of all those pictured. The thoughtfulness in the image demonstrates how mobile photography can memorialize our loved ones in a striking and artful way that’s both complex and delightful. The more time I spend with the image, the more details start to appear." - Sara Urbaez
"Mithai Afrige Chowdhury's image of a child hugging a healthcare worker through plastic embodies the extraordinary moment we are living through. There is a hopefulness in the girl as she's smiling and holding flowers in her hand. Yet, she and the flowers are shrouded in plastic. What drew me to this image is the tension between hope from the girl, the stoicism of the man, and the plastic barrier between them. The quality of light and the reflection of the plastic gives the image an almost painterly quality." - Alana Celii
"The photo captures an emotional moment that evokes mixed feelings. I can feel the happiness of the girl in the photo, but I also emphatize with the man embracing her. The most powerful element in the frame is of course the plastic partition—a new wall that divides the healthy from the sick. Apart from all that, the photo attracts attention thanks to its great color composition" - Cristian Rahadiansyah
The independent jury comprising of Cindy Sissokho, Alana Celii, Cristian Rahadiansyah and Sara Urbaez also awarded 9 honourable mentions for the Mobile Photo Of The Year category:
Kate Bubacz, Photo Director at BuzzFeed, handpicked 23 photographs from the open call which were published on BuzzFeed News in August 2021.
Since 2005, GUP Magazine aims to connect communities around contemporary art and documentary photography. Their Editorial Team selected 10 photographers among all of the applicants for an online collective feature on their Magazine.
The team of C41 Magazine, Milan-based magazine of contemporary visual art, selected 10 photographs from the open call's submissions and will share them in a collective feature on their website.
TSV is an independent magazine showcasing the works of international mobile photographers. Editor and founder Rosa Roth selected 10 images.
Featuring more than 50 photographers and 65 images coming from the open call, this collective book has been edited by American photographer Jason Fulford and challenges the traditional understanding of a portrait while examining its concern with the human presence in its wider sense.
Winners announced! See all the results and order your copy.
PhMuseum's Team will curate a collective exhibition at PhMuseum Lab in Bologna, Italy in March 2022. The event will be accompanied by the book presentation.
This open call is meant to be inclusive and stimulate a reflection on how mobile photography is influencing the medium and becoming part of our everyday life. Join our collective project as many professional and amateur photographers did during the last 2 editions.
Last week we inaugurated the second show arising from our Mobile Photography Prize. It documents the first wave of the pandemic from an introspective point of view and it marks the re-opening of our gallery in Bologna, Italy.
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Featuring 200 images from the 2021 open call, INSIDE is the result of that collective visual reflection on the pandemic. Published in March 2021 with original texts by PhMuseum Director's Giuseppe Oliverio and Vogue Italy photo editor’s Francesca Marani, the volume is the 2nd of the series of publication on mobile photography. All the images of the current open call will be considered for the next volume, to be published in March 2022.
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More than 400 people joined us for the opening of the show co-created and produced with Spazio Labo'. The show had more than 3,000 visitors and was accompanied by a book presentation with Erik Kessels and Chiara Bardelli Nonino (Vogue Italia).
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Familiar Stranger is our first photobook on the subject, featuring 200 images from the 2019 open call. Self-published in January 2021 with original texts by Erik Kessels and PhMuseum Director's Giuseppe Oliverio, the volume is the first of a series. All the images of the current open call will be considered for the next volume, to be published in January 2021.
Read moreThe online self-representation began with texts. Blogs, messaging platform, tweets. Later, social media posts started to support a certain need to express ourselves and engage with larger audiences. A clear visual shift, which started soon after mobile devices became the main vehicle through which we document our everyday life and shape our digital representation.
With part of the Generation Z (born 1997-2012) and the whole Generation Alpha (early 2010 - mid-2020s) being the first people in human history to have full consciousness of their image and own portrayal since a very young age, how mobile phones and the digital environment are influencing the perception of the self and the way we live? How mobile phones are mediating our identity through images or simply shaping our persona? What does it mean “to be present” in a digital world base on representation?
With this open call, we wish to reflect on these relevant aspects and find images on identity, representation and self-representation in the era of mobile devices. We are looking for photographs that could help us document and understand this constantly evolving phenomenon and provoke new reflection to understand how the millenary human fascination for representation and self-representation is approaching this digital age.
Winning the 3rd prize in the Mobile Picture of the Year gave me a major confidence boost in my artistic vision, gave me some excellent exposure, and (more prosaically), helped me pay for my graduate school. I also got to see my photograph in print in the new book of mobile photography, 'Inside', which was a true thrill. Elena Haliczer, 3rd Prize Mobile Photos of The Year 2020
Cultural Producer, Curator, and Writer
Cindy Sissokho is a Paris-born curator, cultural producer and writer living in Nottingham and working throughout the UK and internationally. Her work has a specific focus on decoloniality in the arts and Global South epistemologies and artistic practices. Since 2018, Sissokho has worked for New Art Exchange, Nottingham as a Curator and Special Projects Producer, a role that involves curating exhibitions, managing the organisation's touring exhibitions programme, and coordinating international projects and collaborations. In 2021 Cindy was appointed Associate Curator for Casablanca Biennale in Morrocco. Cindy has previously worked for Nottingham Contemporary within their exhibitions team.
Photo Editor, The New York Times
Alana Celii is a photo editor and photographer based in New York. She graduated with her BFA in photography from Parsons the New School for Design. Currently, she is a photo editor at The New York Times where she covers the technology beat on the business desk. Prior to her work at The Times, she photo edited at The Wall Street Journal and TIME. Her personal work has been exhibited in the US, and abroad. Most recently, she completed a residency at Vermont Studio Center and NES in Iceland. Her first monograph, Paradise Falling, was published in the Spring of 2021.
Editor-in-Chief of DestinAsian Indonesia, Festival Director of JIPFest
Cristian Rahadiansyah is the Editor-in-Chief of DestinAsian Indonesia and the Festival Director of JIPFest. The Jakarta-based journalist has worked for seven different magazines in the last 17 years. Cristian has written and edited several books, hosted a radio talk show as well as given talks in various writer and photographer forums. In 2019, he co-founded the Jakarta International Photo Festival (JIPFest), Indonesia’s first international photography festival organized by the PannaFoto Institute.
Photo Art Director, Square
Sara Urbaez is a first-generation Dominican photo editor currently based in Berkeley, CA. She is the founder of LISTO, a curatorial platform devoted to BIPOC photographers. She has worked in the photo departments of Apple, Airbnb, WEIRD, Departures, and Art + Auction, among others, spanning from creative production to content creation. Recently, she joined Square as Photo Art Director.
