November's Photography Awards and Opportunities

Intersection – A PHmuseum Exhibition Prize, the BarTur Photo Award, and Pictures of the Year Latam join the Sony World Photography Awards and the Lucie Photo Book Prize among the top opportunities accepting submissions this November. Learn all about them and how they can support the production and circulation of your work.

Intersection – A PHmuseum Exhibition Prize, the BarTur Photo Award, and Pictures of the Year Latam join the Sony World Photography Awards and the Lucie Photo Book Prize among the top opportunities accepting submissions this November. Learn all about them and how they can support the production and circulation of your work.

Intersection - A PHmuseum Exhibition Prize / Opens: 23 November / No entry fee

Intersection – A PHmuseum Exhibition Prize is a new initiative that aims to give visibility to new authors and encourage fresh connections between photographers and artistic institutions. In this first edition, PHmuseum has partnered with Fonderia 20.9, a photographic gallery based in Verona, Italy, which will select one photographer to be awarded a solo show to open in June 2021.

To participate, photographers are invited to submit one or more projects centred around a specific theme, narrative, or concept. PHmuseum and Fonderia 20.9 are looking for works that challenge the medium and show solidity in their approach and concept. A jury comprised of Mariela Sancari, the Fonderia 20.9 team (Chiara Bandino and Francesco Biasi), PHmuseum Director Giuseppe Oliverio, and PHmuseum Curator Rocco Venezia will select the winning project. Fonderia 20.9 will provide a budget of €1,000 that should cover exhibition costs and travel, while and accommodation and food will be provided during the stay in Verona. The contest opens on 23 November and will close on 15 December. Judging will then take place between December and January with the winner set to be announced in February.

BarTur Photo Award / Deadline: 22 February / Entry fee: US$20

The BarTur Photo Award was established back in 2011 based on the goal of celebrating the immense power photography has on influencing the way that we understand and engage with the world around us. The contest this year will look to support visual storytellers whose work illuminates the three themes of Unity in Diversity, Climate Change, and Human Love. “This award is open to those working in the fine arts, documentary, fashion, advertising, journalism and all other fields of photographic image making,” write the organisers. “Echo the achievements of those who came before us or “push the envelope” with innovation. Whether you are inspired by your personal experience or by the urgent issues of our time, you are invited to share your vision,” they add.

Winners across each category will receive a share of $10,000 in cash awards and a whole host of other prizes including residency opportunities across four European cities, exhibitions in Copenhagen, Łódź, and Berlin (as part of Berlin Photo Week), portfolio reviews, and international press exposure. All submissions will be reviewed by an international jury that includes Amnon Bar-Tur (philanthropist), Stephen Mayes (Executive Director, The Tim Hetherington Trust), Beate Cegielska (Director, Galleri Image), Carol Körting (Photo Editor, LEICA Fotografie International), Evelien Joos (Co-Founder, Plus Two Agency), Krzysztof Candrowicz (Co-Founder and Curator, Lodz Fotofestiwal), Maggie Steber (Photographer and Guggenheim Foundation Fellow), Simon Roberts (Photographer), Nana Kofi Acquah (Photographer), and Martin Rennert (Einstein Foundation Berlin).

Applicants can enter one single image for free, a series of images up to five for $25, and a series of images up to 10 for $35. Until 22 December, photographers can take advantage of an Early Bird rate on five and 10 images of $15 and $25 respectively. There is also a student competition offering similar prizes that is free to enter. To learn more and apply, visit barturphotoaward.org.

Pictures of the Year Latam / Deadline: 2 January / No entry fee

The mission of Pictures of the Year Latam is to celebrate excellence in documentary photography and photojournalism in Latin America. Through this contest, POY proposes a visual reflection on the development of human rights in Ibero-America and looks to shed light on the remarkable realities of the past year.

Photographers can enter their work into 14 different categories, some of the most important of which include Everyday Life Series (rewarding a collection of unposed images that reflect human experience, culture, or celebrate life); News Series (for a project of up to 10 photographs focused on a news event or current social issue); The Carolina Hidalgo Vivar Environmental Award (recognising a photo essay that expands our appreciation of nature and/or understanding of the damage humans are causing to the environment); and The Pandemic in Ibero-America (awarding a documentary work related to the new reality society has had to adapt due to the pandemic). There are also multimedia categories dedicated to films as well as websites, social media documentary projects, interactive experimental works and 360º videos. In this edition, POY Latam will only accept images made in Latin America, Spain, and Portugal, except in the News (Series and Singles) and Ibero-American Photographer of the Year categories, in which images made anywhere in the world will be accepted.

Also this year, in recognition of how challenging 2020 has been, POY is calling all amateur and professional photographers to submit work that reflects upon the health crisis we are all experiencing. This section of the contest will take place on Instagram and will be judged by the same POY Latam judges. Each one of the winners will receive a US$1,000 cash prize. The judging panel includes Gael Almeida (Regional Director, National Geographic Society), Daniel Rodrigues (Independent Photographer), Gisela Volá (Professor, International Center of Photography and Film), Magdalena Herrera (Director of Photography, Geo France), and Mallory Benedict (Photo Editor, National Geographic Magazine). The contest will open on 30 November and close on 2 January 2, 2021. Go to poylatam.org/en for further information.

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OTHER DEADLINES:

Sony World Photography Awards / Deadlines: 30 November - 14 January / No entry fee

Free to enter and open to both established and emerging photographers, the Sony World Photography Awards are a global voice for visual storytelling and provide a vital insight into the trends of contemporary photography. The Awards are divided into four separate contests, namely Professional (recognising outstanding bodies of work), Open (awarding single images), Youth (for photographers aged 12 to 19), and Student (aimed at photography students worldwide). In the Professional Award, an international jury will be looking for series that are technically advanced and offer a fresh perspective on what photography has the power to do today. Applicants can enter multiple works into the following categories: Architecture & Design, Creative, Documentary Projects, Environment, Landscape, Natural World & Wildlife, Portraiture, Still Life, Sport, and Portfolio. A total prize fund of US$25,000 plus exhibition opportunities and the latest Sony digital imaging equipment will be shared between the winners.

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ISSP Riga Residency / Deadline: 20 November / No entry fee

Open to photographers, artists, and curators working with still imagery, the ISSP Riga Residency provides an opportunity for dedicated work on a personal project informed by interaction with the Latvian capital and its residents. Applications are welcome from those interested in creating work referring to the social, cultural, and historical context of Riga, as well as those who need to take their time to rethink and complete their ongoing work. While in normal circumstances, the residency stays vary from one to two calendar months, due to the current Covid-19 self-isolation requirements, the ISSP team highly recommends longer stays of two to three calendar months. Stays of one month can still be possible, depending on individual preferences and residency schedules. Visiting artists will be afforded the chance to interact with local audiences in a public presentation and through other events like a pop-up exhibition.

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Les Boutographies Festival Open Call / Deadline: 22 November / Entry fee: €22

Les Boutographies, held every spring in Montpellier, France, is based on the simple principle of discovering and promoting the latest proposals of contemporary image-making from Europe. The curators are calling all photographers to submit work for a series of exhibitions and projections to be showcased at the next edition of the festival in 2021. Those selected will automatically be shortlisted for a number of monetary prizes and production opportunities that will be awarded during the event. Applications must feature between 10 and 20 images, a brief CV, and a short text explaining the concept behind the work submitted.

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Lucie Photo Book Prize / Deadline: 30 November / Entry fee: US$35 - US$55

The Lucie Photo Book Prize, run by the Lucie Foundation, aims to support photographers in the production and promotion of their photobooks through monetary prizes and exposure opportunities. The contest is divided into two separate awards - the Traditional Prize (worth US$3,000) and the Independent Prize (worth US$2,000). The Traditional Prize will be awarded to a photographer, editor, curator or publisher whose book is commercially produced and distributed, while the Independent Prize will be granted to a photographer, editor, curator or publisher whose book is published and distributed independently.

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Curatorial Research Grant / Deadline: 5 December / No entry fee

The Curatorial Research Grant commissioned by Les Rencontres de la Photographie is aimed at curators wishing to carry out an original exhibition project related to photography. The €20,000 Grant is divided into a €5,000 stipend for research costs and copyrighting and a €15,000 stipend to go towards the production of the show. Application proposals must include a biography of the curator (and of the co-curators or of the collective if applicable), research and full contact details and a list of projects and exhibitions of the curator(s), a presentation text of the exhibition project proposed for the research grant (a maximum of 5,000 characters), and bodies of work and artists envisaged for the project (it is strongly recommended to present visuals). The winning project will be announced in January.

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Wildlife Photographer of the Year / Deadline: 10 December / Entry fee: £30

Recognising the world's best nature photography every year since 1965, the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition is open for entries once again. Photographers should enter the competition for a chance to see their image premiered in an exhibition at the Natural History Museum, enjoy extensive international media coverage and public exposure, attend the glittering Wildlife Photographer of the Year awards ceremony, and win major cash prizes. This year’s independent jury features Rosamund Kidman Cox OBE (Photo Editor and Writer), Jordi Chias (Underwater Photographer) Dr Natalie Cooper (Evolutionary Biologist and Researcher, Natural History Museum), Britta Jaschinski (Photojournalist), and Staffan Widstrand (Nature Photographer and Writer), among others.

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Visit our awards page to get a complete view of the best photography opportunities that are currently open for entry.

© Fonderia 20.9. Shot of the exhibition space.
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© Fonderia 20.9. Shot of the exhibition space.

© Rory Doyle. 2020 BarTur Photo Award winner
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© Rory Doyle. 2020 BarTur Photo Award winner

© Santi Palacios. 2019 winner
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© Santi Palacios. 2019 winner

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