Calling all art photographers!
Returning for a second year, the LensCulture Art Photography Awards aim to recognize and reward visionary artists using photographic processes and images.
The possibilities are boundless for this award! Show us how you’re pushing the photographic medium, experimenting with different techniques or creative approaches to bring your ideas to life.
We’re hoping to see all kinds of submissions in this category, from prints made for gallery walls, to sculptural objects and totally new forms and formats. What matters is your unique vision and your skills in translating that vision into exceptional and original work.
Read on for information about our expert international jury for this award and the prizes up for grabs - this year winners will be exhibited in Paris alongside Paris Photo!
Don’t miss this opportunity to share your work with the world and participate in our global photography community of photography thinkers, makers and lovers.
Closed for new entries.
Paris Exhibition|Free Professional Review|Global Recognition|International Festival Exposure
Exhibition during Paris Photo 2019
All winning photographers for this award will be exhibited in November at Galerie Joseph alongside Paris Photo! An opening reception will be held for artists, invited media, photo editors and industry insiders for a night of art appreciation and networking during the world’s largest international art fair dedicated to photography.
2019 Art Photography
International Jury
Dr. Yasufumi Nakamori
Senior Curator, International Art (Photography)
Tate Modern
London, United Kingdom
about Yasufumi »

Dr Yasufumi Nakamori is the Senior Curator of International Art (Photography) where he leads the development of Tate’s collection of photography and the programme of photography exhibitions and displays. Prior to that, Nakamori headed the department of photography and new media at the Minneapolis Institute of Art, developing new displays of photography and time-based media within the context of a global encyclopaedic art museum. He was also responsible for numerous key acquisitions which transformed and diversified the museum’s photography collection. He previously served as curator of photography at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston from 2008 to 2016, creating ground-breaking exhibitions such as Katsura: Picturing Modernism in Japanese Architecture, Photographs by Ishimoto Yasuhiro, and many others. He is a 2016 fellow of the Getty Leadership Institute, holds a Juris Doctor from the University of Wisconsin, an MA in Contemporary Art from Hunter College, the City University of New York, and a PhD in the History of Art and Visual Studies from Cornell University.

Kristen Gresh
Curator of Photographs
Museum of Fine Arts
Boston, United States
about Kristen »

Kristen Gresh is the Estrellita and Yousuf Karsh Curator of Photographs at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA). She is an experienced curator, researcher, and lecturer in the field of photography and digital media. Gresh is the author of the award-winning book She Who Tells a Story: Women Photographers from Iran and the Arab World and Graciela Iturbide’s Mexico. Prior to working at the MFA, she was curator of 20th century photography collections in both Paris and Cairo, where she also taught history of photography. She has received multiple grants and awards for her research and publications including a Magnum Foundation Legacy Grant, Terra Foundation Grant, Rockefeller Grant, Fulbright Award and the IndieFab Foreword’s Book of the Year awards “Nonfiction Editor’s Choice Prize 2013.”

Xavier Canonne
Director
Musee de la Photographie
Charleroi, Belgium
about Xavier »

Since March 2000, Xavier Canonne has been the director of the Musée de la Photographie in Charleroi, Belgium. Before coming to the Musée, he was the director of the collection of the Province of the Hainaut (modern and contemporary art) from 1987 to 2000. He has curated many exhibitions and has edited and written various books and studies. He had curated several exhibitions, among them Intimate Man Ray (2003); Scenes of Atget (2004); Lee Miller a Life (2005); and Surrealism in Belgium in the Fine Arts Museum in Mons-BAM (March—April, 2007). Canonne is the publisher of the review "Marées de la Nuit". He is the author of the several books, including Looking at the U.S. – 1957—1986, published in 2009; Requiem pour un homme seul, Le Samouraï de Jean-Pierre Melville, 2010; and René Magritte, The revealing images, published in 2017. Xavier Canonne received his Doctorate in Art History and Archaeology from the Sorbonne University in Paris, with a doctoral thesis dedicated to Surrealism in Belgium.

Christopher McCall
Director
Pier 24 Photography
San Francisco, United States
about Christopher »

Christopher McCall is the director of Pier 24 Photography in San Francisco, one of the largest exhibition spaces devoted to photography. In 2002, McCall received his MFA in Photography from California College of the Arts, studying under Jim Goldberg and Larry Sultan. After teaching for seven years, he joined Pier 24 Photography in 2009 as the inaugural director, assisting in the conceptualization of the organization’s mission and operating principles. Since opening the doors of Pier 24, McCall has overseen the presentation of five exhibitions and spearheaded the creation of the Larry Sultan Visiting Artist Program, a program in collaboration with the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and California College of the Arts.

Gunther Dietrich
Director
Photo Edition Gallery
Berlin, Germany
about Gunther »

Born in Germany in 1967, Gunther Dietrich studied philosophy and comparative literature at the University of Stuttgart before turning to art with a focus on photography at the Academy of Fine Arts in Hamburg (HfBK) and Berlin (HDK). He has many years of self-employment in the fields of film, content management, publication, media design, and all aspects of the art market, and has been Director of Photo Edition Gallery, an international art gallery for contemporary photography in Berlin, since 2008.

Oliva Maria Rubio
Directora Artística de La Fábrica
PhotoEspaña
Madrid, Spain
about Oliva Maria »

Before being named Artistic Director at La Fabrica in 2014, Oliva Maria Rubio was Director of Exhibitions and General Curator of PHotoEspaña (PHE), Madrid´s international photography and visual arts festival, where she programmed approximately 60 exhibitions. A thought-leader in the industry, Oliva has been a juror on several major international photography awards and her essays appear in catalogues, magazines and newspapers. She is the author of La mirada interior. El surrealismo y la pintura (Madrid, Tecnos, 1994) and holds a doctorate in History and Theory of Art from Madrid’s Autonomous University.

Jim Casper
Editor-in-Chief
LensCulture
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
about Jim »

Jim Casper is the editor-in-chief of LensCulture, one of the leading online destinations to discover contemporary photography from around the world. As an active member in the contemporary photography world, Casper organizes annual international photography events, travels around the world to meet with photographers and review their portfolios, curates art exhibitions, writes about photography and culture, lectures, conducts workshops, serves as an international juror and nominator for key awards, and is an advisor to arts and education organizations.

“Creativity takes courage.”
— Henri Matisse
free
professional
review
© Alexandra Lethbridge
Enter a series or 5+ images to this award and get a FREE written professional review of your submission. This is a unique opportunity to receive valuable feedback on your work from one of our experienced industry professionals to help you moving forward creatively, conceptually and professionally.
Plus, you’ll get a free LensCulture Portfolio Account to share your work with our global audience of over three million!
Read what LensCulture’s community of photographers is saying about Professional Reviews:
James Niven
Australia
“Not in my wildest dreams did I expect such a positive response! Thank you! It gives me validation to continue on my Photographic journey, always being honest and true to what I see and feel. Besides this, it was also very encouraging and thorough in critique of each image. Also noted and appreciated were all the relevant and further reading links. Thanks so much.”
See James’ Full Review
Kristin Linnea Backe
Norway
“Getting the feedback was highly useful and super enjoyable for me. I’m new to the art world and I need advice. The review was very effective, pinpointing my mistakes and giving me courage.”
See Kristin’s Full Review
George Kyriacou
Australia
“Your respectful, positive feedback has touched me deeply. I did not win the competition, but what I’m feeling from the review is so uplifting and encouraging that I feel like I have won on another level. I am so grateful for your time and effort for giving me your considered feedback. Thank you once again.”
See George’s Full Review
Art Photography Competition Gallery
Just by entering, your work will be reviewed by our editors for immediate exposure in our Competition Gallery and across all our online channels, reaching a combined audience of over three million. Entrants to our awards receive massive online exposure throughout the competition, so enter your work early and take advantage of this opportunity!
Note: While our editors review entries for inclusion on a daily basis, not every submission can be shown here. You can click on the photos to learn more about the photographer. If you like someone’s work, share their submission on Facebook or favorite their image! Your support help increases the exposure for every participating photographer.
career launching
exposure
© Koji Ishikawa

Angkor Photo Festival, Siem Reap Cambodia

Athens Photo Festival, Athens, Greece

Atlanta Celebrates Photography Festival, Atlanta, GA, United States

Backlight Photo Festival, Tampere, Finland

Balkan Photo Festival, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Belfast Photo Festival, Belfast, Northern Ireland

Belgrade Photo Month, Belgrade, Serbia

Biennial of the Possible Image, Liège, Belgium

BredaPhoto International Photo Festival, Breda, Netherlands

Brighton Photo Biennial, Brighton, United Kingdom

Brighton Photo Fringe, Brighton, United Kingdom

Budapest Photo Festival, Budapest, Hungary

Chania International Photo Festival, Chania, Greece

Circulation(s), Paris, France

Copenhagen Photo Festival, Copenhagen, Denmark

Cortona on the Move, Cortona, Italy

DarmStadt Days of Photography, Darmstadt, Germany

Emerging Talents Festival, Rome, Italy

Encontros da Imagem Photography Festival, Braga, Portugal

FestFoto, Porto Alegre, Brazil

Festival de Fotografia de Tiradentes, Tiradentes, Minas Gerais, Brazil

Festival della Fotografia Etica, Lodi, Italy

Festival Images Vevey, Vevey, Switzerland

Festival Internacional Fotografia Valparaiso, Valparaiso, Chile

Filter Photo Festival, Chicago, IL, United States

Focus on the Story International Photo Festival, Washington, D.C., USA

FOCUS Photography Festival, Mumbai, India

FORMAT, Derby, United Kingdom

FOTO SOLO, New York, NY, United States

Fotobok Festival Oslo 2020, Oslo, Norway

FOTOFESTIWAL - International Festival of Photography, Lodz, Poland

FotoLeggendo, Rome, Italy

Fotopub Portfolio Review, Novo Mesto, Slovenia

Gazebook: Sicily Photobook Festival, Punta Secca, Italy/Sicily

GETXOPHOTO International Photography Festival, Getxo, Spain

Head On Photo Festival, Bondi Beach - Sydney, Australia

Helsinki Photo Festival, Helsinki, Finland

Indian Photo Fest, Hyderabad, India

Indian Photo Fest, Madhapur, India

Internationaal Fotofestival Overpelt, Overpelt, Belgium

Jimei x Arles International Photo Festival Xiamen, China

Kaunas Photo Festival, Kaunas, Lithuania

Krakow Photomonth Festival, Krakow, Poland

Lagos Photo Festival, Lagos, Nigeria

Landskrona Foto Festival, Landskrona, Sweden

Liège Photobook Festival, Liège, Belgium

Los Angeles Festival of Photography, LA, CA, United States

LuganoPhotoDays, Lugano, Switzerland

Medium Festival of Photography, San Diego, CA, United States

MedPhoto Festival, Rethymno, Crete, Greece

Month of Photography Denver, Denver, CO, United States

Mostra São Paulo de Fotografia, São Paulo, Brazil

Obscura Festival, Penang, Malaysia

Odessa Photo Days Festival, Odessa, Ukraine

OFF_festival Bratislava, Bratislava, Slovakia

Organ Vida - International Photography Festival, Zagreb, Croatia

PHOTO IS:RAEL, Tel Aviv, Israel

Photo Kyiv, the International Art Fair, Kyiv, Ukraine

Photo Romania Festival, Cluj-Napoca, Romania

Photography Festival Bialystok INTERPHOTO, Bialystok, Poland

Photolux Festival. International Biennial of Photography, Lucca, Italy

Photomed, Sanary-sur-mer, France

PHOTOMONTH East London, London, United Kingdom

PhotOn Festival, Valencia, Spain

PhotoVisa, Krasnodar, Russia

PondyPHOTO 2016, Pondicherry, India

Porto Photo Festival, Porto, Portugal

Rotterdam Photo, Rotterdam, The Netherlands

San Jose Foto Festival, San Jose, Uruguay

SCAN Tarragona, International Photography Festival, Tarragona, Spain

Street Photo San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States

Tbilisi Photo Festival, Tbilisi, Georgia

Tokyo International Photography Festival, Tokyo, Japan

Valongo, Valongo, Santos, Brazil

Verzasca Foto Festival, Valle Verzasca, Switzerland

Vienna PhotoBook Festival, Vienna, Austria

Warsaw Photo Days, Warsaw, Poland

Image: A screening of photographs from “The LensCulture Emerging Talent Awards” at the festival in Arles, France. Overlaid: Our growing list of festival partners.
Featured at International
Photo Festivals
Selected works will be screened at photo festivals and events worldwide. Over the past year, our winners and finalists were screened at festivals in the UK, Greece, Croatia, Italy, Japan, Australia, Spain, France, the US, and more.
LensCulture is continually forging new partnerships with leading photo festivals around the world (like Voies Off, FORMAT, Tokyo International Photography Festival, and more) to increase exposure and showcase opportunities for the winners and finalists of our competitions.

Visibility With Industry Insiders & Creative Professionals
All it takes is one set of eyes to change the course of your career. Share your work with us for industry-wide exposure and opportunities. If our jury ranks your submission highly through the judging process, you will be included in LensCulture Discoveries, our directory of top-rated photographers. We provide this directory to photography industry insiders and creative professionals to showcase photographers and their work to key decision makers including editors, book publishers, gallery owners, festival directors, creative directors, curators, and online media publishers.

Aaron Schuman, Director/Editor, SeeSaw Magazine, UK

Ada Takahashi, Director, Robert Koch Gallery, USA

Afton Almaraz, Senior Picture Editor, Getty Images, USA

Aida Muluneh, Founder and General Manager, Desta for Africa Creative Consulting PLC, Ethiopia

Alan Taylor, Senior Editor, The Atlantic, USA

Alessandra Capodacqua, Instructor, Photographer and Independent Curator, NYU, Italy

Alessia Glaviano, Senior Photo Editor, Vogue Italia and L'Uomo Vogue, Italy

Alex Webb, Photographer, Magnum

Alexa Becker, Acquisitions Editor, Kehrer Verlag Publishers, Germany

Alona Pardo, Curator, Barbican Art Gallery, UK

Amy Feitelberg, Photo Art Director, Square, USA

Amy Pereira, Photography Director, Curator and Consultant, USA

Amy Wolff, Photo Director, Hearst Digital Media, USA

Andy Greenacre, Director of Photography, Telegraph Magazine, UK

Ángel Luis González Fernández, Founder and CEO, PhotoIreland Foundation, Ireland

Anna Dickson, Visual Lead, Image Search, Google, USA

Anna Goldwater Alexander, Director of Photography, WIRED, USA

Anna Gripp, Editor-in-Chief, Photonews, Germany

Anna Walker Skillman, Owner/Director, Jackson Fine Arts, USA

Anne Bourgeois-Vignon, Executive Creative Director, Culture Trip, UK

Anne Farrar, Director of Photography, National Geographic Traveler, USA

Anne McNeill, Director, Impressions Gallery, UK

Anne Morin, Director, diChroma Photography, Spain

Anne Wilkes-Tucker, Curator, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, USA

Antony Dickson, Features Photo Editor, South China Morning Post, Hong Kong

Arianna Rinaldo, Artistic Director, Cortona On The Move, Spain

Ariel Shanberg, Executive Director, Delaware Valley Arts Alliance, USA

Azu Nwagbogu, Director, African Artists’ Foundation, Nigeria

Barbara Čeferin, Owner, Galerija Fotografija, Slovenia

Barbara Tannenbaum, Curator of Photography, The Cleveland Museum of Art, USA

Bernadette Tuazon, Director of Photography, CNN Digital, USA

Bevin Bering Dubrowski, Curator, Photography Specialist, BBD Photography, USA

Bisi Silva, Founder and Director, Centre for Contemporary Art, Nigeria

Bonnie Rubenstein, Artistic Director, CONTACT Photography Festival, Canada

Brett Roegiers, Photo Editor, CNN.com, USA

Brian Paul Clamp, Owner/Director, ClampArt Gallery, USA

Brian Storm, Founder & Executive Producer, MediaStorm, USA

Bronwen Latimer, Senior Photo Editor, The Washington Post, USA

Bruno Ceschel, Director, Self Publish, Be Happy, UK

Carlos Carvalho, Director, FestFoto de Porto Allegre, Brazil

Caroline Hunter, Picture Editor, Guardian Weekend Magazine, UK

Caroline Wall, Director, Robert Mann Gallery, USA

Catherine Edelman, Owner, Catherine Edelman Gallery, USA

Celia Davies, Curator, Arts Council England, UK

Celina Lunsford, Artistic Director & Chief Curator, Fotografie Forum Frankfurt, Germany

Charles Guice, Founder/Director, Charles Guice Contemporary, USA

Charlotte Cotton, Curator & Writer, USA

Charlotte van Lingen, Head of Presentation, Museum Het Valkhof, Netherlands

Chelsea Matiash, Senior Editor, Digiital Storytelling, The New York Times, USA

Chris Littlewood, Independent Curator, Christopher Littlewood, UK

Chris Pichler, Founder & Publisher, Nazraeli Press, USA

Christopher McCall, Director, Pier 24 Photography, USA

Christopher Rauschenberg, Founding Member, Blue Sky Photographers' Collective and Gallery, USA

Christy Havranek, Photo Director, Huffington Post, USA

Clare Grafik, Head of Exhibitions, The Photographer's Gallery, UK

Claude Bussac, Director, PHotoEspaña International Festival, Spain

Corey Keller, Curator, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, USA

Corinne Tapia, Director, Sous Les Etoiles Gallery, USA

Cristina De Middel, Artist, Juana de Aizpuru, UK

Daphné Anglès, Journalist, The New York Times Paris, France

Daphne Palmer, Director, Fraenkel Gallery

Darius Himes, International Head of Photographs, Christie's, USA

Darren Ching, Owner, Klompching Gallery, USA

David Alan Harvey, Photographer, Magnum Photos, USA

David Campbell, Director, Programs, World Press Photo, Netherlands

David Chickey, Publisher, Radius Books, USA

David Drake, Director, Ffotogallery, UK

David Hurn, Photographer, Magnum Photos, UK

Deborah Klochko, Director, Museum of Photographic Arts, USA

Debra Klomp, Ching Owner/Director, Klompching Gallery, USA

Denise Wolff, Senior Editor, Aperture, USA

Dewi Lewis, Owner, Dewi Lewis Publishing, UK

Dimitri Beck, Director of Photography, Polka Magazine, France

Dina Mitrani, Gallery Owner, Dina Mitrani Gallery, USA

Donna Cohen, Photo Director, Bloomberg LP, USA

Dr. Shahidul Alam, Director, Chobi Mela Festival of Photography, Bangladesh

Ed Carey, Director, Gallery 291, USA

Eder Chiodetto, Independent Photography Curator, Brazil

Elena Boille, Deputy Editor-in-Chief and Photo Editor, Internazionale, Italy

Elena Firsova, Managing Editor, Foto&Video Magazine Moscow Russian Federation

Elie Domit, Director, East Wing Gallery, Qatar

Elinor Carucci, Photographer, USA

Elisa Medde, Editor, FOAM Magazine, Netherlands

Elissa Curtis, Deputy Photo Director, The Wall Street Journal, USA

Elizabeth Avedon, Independent Curator, Photo Editor, USA

Els Barents, Photo Historian, Writer & Researcher, Els Barents, Netherlands

Emilia van Lynden, Art Consultant, Emilia Van Lynden Art Consultancy, Netherlands

Emma Bowkett, Director of Photography, FT Weekend Magazine, UK

Enrico Bossan, Project Head, Galerrie delle prigioni, Italy

Enrico Stefanelli, Founder, President and Artistic Director, Photolux Festival, Italy

Erik Vroons, Chief Editor, GUP Magazine, Netherlands

Evan Pricco, Editor-in-Chief and Web Editor, Juxtapoz Magazine, USA

Evgeny Berezner, Deputy General Director, ROSIZO State Museum & Exhibition Center, Russia

Felicia Anastasia, Founder & Creative Director, Anastasia Photo Gallery, USA

Fiona Rogers, Chief Operating Officer, Magnum Photos, UK

Fiona Shields, Head of Photography, The Guardian, UK

Francesca Morisini, Photo Editor at Condé Nast Italia

Francis Hodgson, Professor of Photography, University of Brighton, UK

Francoise Callier, Program Coordinator, Angkor Photo Festival, France

Fred Ritchin, Dean of the School, International Center of Photography, USA

Frits Gierstberg, Curator, Nederlands Fotomuseum, Netherlands

Gaia Tripoli, Photo Editor, The New York Times, UK

Gail Marowitz, Creative Director, The Visual Strategist, USA

Genevieve Fussell, Senior Photo Editor, The New Yorker, USA

Gilles Steinmann, Photo Editor, Neue Zürcher Zeitung, Switzerland

Giulia Ticozzi, Photo Editor, La Repubblica, Italy

Greg Hobson, Curator of Photographs, National Media Museum, UK

Gunther Dietrich, Director, Photo Edition Gallery, Germany

Hamidah Glasgow, Executive Director/Curator, The Center for Fine Art Photography, USA

Hannah Watson, Director, TJ Boulting Gallery and Trolley Books, UK

Hideko Kataoka, Director of Photography, Newsweek, Japan

Ian Shive, CEO & Founder, Tandem Stills + Motion, USA

Iata Cannabrava, Photographer & Festival Organizer, Estudio Madalena, Brazil

Ihiro Hayami, Director, Tokyo Institute of Photography, Japan

Ishida Tetsuro, Curator, Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography, Japan

Jacob Aue Sobol, Photographer, Magnum Photos, Denmark

James Estrin, Photographer/Lens Blog Editor, The New York Times, USA

Jean-Jacques Viau, Digital Marketing Manager, Leica Camera, Germany

Jeff Gates, Lead Producer, Smithsonian American Art Museum, USA

Jeff Moorfoot, Editor, BETA Developments in Photography, Australia

Jennifer Blessing, Senior Curator of Photography, Guggenheim, USA

Jennifer Murray, Executive Director, Filter Photo, USA

Jennifer Pastore, Executive Photography Director, WSJ Magazine, USA

Jenny Smets, Director of Photography, Vrij Nederland, Netherlands

Jessica Lim, Director, Angkor Photo Festival & Workshops, Cambodia

Jessie Wender, Photo Editor, The New York Times, USA

Joanna Milter, Director of Photography, THE NEW YORKER

Joanne Junga Yang, Director, Y&G Art, South Korea

Johan Sjöström, Curator of Exhibitions, Gothenburg Museum of Art, Sweden

John Duncan, Editor, Source Photographic Review, UK

Jolene Hanson, Director, The G2 Gallery, USA

Jon Jones, Head of Photography, Tortoise Media, UK

Jorge de la Torriente, Owner / Photographer, De La Gallery, USA

Juli Lowe, Director, Catherine Edelman Gallery, USA

Julien Jourdes, Co-Founder and COO, Blink.la, USA

Kacy Burdette, Photo Editor, Adweek, USA

Karen Davis, Director/Co-owner, Davis Orton Gallery,USA

Karen McQuaid, Curator, The Photographers’ Gallery, UK

Karol Hordziej, Artistic Director, Krakow Photomonth, Poland

Kathy Moran, Senior Editor, National Geographic Magazine, USA

Kathy Ryan, Director of Photography, The New York Times Magazine, USA

Kaycee Olsen, Art Consultant & Fine Art Appraiser, Kevin Barry Fine Art, USA

Kenneth Dickerman, Photo Editor, The Washington Post, USA

Kottie Gaydos, Curator & Editor in Chief, Detroit Center for Contemporary Photography, USA

Kristen Gresh, Curator of Photographs, Museum of Fine Arts Boston, USA

Lars Boering, Managing Director, World Press Photo, Netherlands

Laura Moya, Director, Photolucida, USA

Laura Pressley, Executive Director, CENTER, USA

Lauren Ford, Commissioning Director and Producer, Dazed Magazine, UK

Lekgetho Makola, Director, Market Photo Workshop, South Africa

Lesley Martin, Creative Director, Aperture Foundation, USA

Linda Benedict-Jones, Executive Director, Silver Eye Center for Photography, USA

Lisa J. Sutcliffe, Curator of Photography and Media Arts, Milwaukee Art Museum, USA

Louise Clements, Artistic Director, Derby QUAD Limited and FORMAT International Photography Festival, UK

Luc Rabaey, Owner, 44 Gallery, Belgium

Lucy Bell, Director, Lucy Bell Fine Art, UK

Lucy Conticello, Director of Photography, M Magazine, Le Monde, France

Maarten Schilt, Publisher & Gallerist, Schilt Publishing & Gallery, Netherlands

Magdalena Herrera, Director of Photography, GEO France, France

Manila Camarini, Photo Editor, D La Repubblica, Italy

Manuel Rivera-Ortiz, President & Founder, Manuel Rivera-Ortiz Foundation for Documentary Photography & Film, USA

Marc Prüst, Artistic Director, Photography Consultant and Curator, Netherlands

Marcel Feil, Artistic Deputy Director, FOAM, Netherlands

Marcia Allert, Director of Photography, The Dallas Morning News, USA

Margaret Kelly, Director, Exhibition and Art Fairs, Pace/Macgill Gallery, USA

Margy Dudley, Owner, Open Shutter Gallery, USA

Marion Hislen, Déléguée à la photographie, Ministere de la Culture, France

Mark Murrmann, Photo Editor, Mother Jones, USA

Martin Parr, Photographer, Magnum Photos, UK

Mary Virginia Swanson, Photography Marketing Advisor, Educator, Author, USA

MaryAnn Camilleri, Founder, The Magenta Foundation, Canada

MaryAnne Golon, Director of Photography, The Washington Post, USA

Matthew Craig, Co-Founder and CEO, Blink, USA

Matthew Tucker, Broadcast Journalist/Picture Producer, BBC News Online, UK

Maya Byskov, Project Manager, Centrifuge, Germany

Mazie Harris, Assistant Curator, Getty Museum, USA

Meaghan Looram, Director of Photography, The New York Times, USA

Melissa Ryan, Deputy Director of Photography, Nature Conservancy Magazine, USA

Mia Diehl, Photography Director, Fortune Magazine, USA

Michael Dooney, Director, Jarvis Dooney Galerry, Germany

Michael Famighetti, Editor, Aperture Magazine, USA

Michael Foley, Owner, Foley Gallery, USA

Michael Hoppen, Owner, Michael Hoppen Gallery, UK

Michael Mack, Founder, MACK Books, UK

Michael Weir, Director/Founder, Belfast Photo Festival, UK

Michelle Dunn Marsh, Chief Strategist, Photographic Center Northwest, USA

Miyako Yoshinaga, Director, Mikayo Yoshinga Gallery, USA

Molly Roberts, Senior Photography Editor, National Geographic Magazine, USA

Monica Allende, Artistic Director, GetxoPhoto & Landskrona Foto Festival, UK

Moritz Neumüller, Academic Director of Photography, IED Madrid, Spain

Moshe Rosenzveig, Founder and Director, Head On Photo Festival, Australia

Muhammed Muheisen, Pulitzer Prize-winning Photojournalist, Netherlands

Mutsuko Ota, Editorial Director, IMA magazine, Japan

Nadav Kander, Award-Winning Photographer, UK

Nakamori Yasufumi, Assistant Curator, Museum of Fine Arts Houston, USA

Natalie Matutschovsky, Photography Art Director, Apple, USA

Natasha Egan, Executive Director, Museum of Contemporary Photography at Columbia College, USA

Newsha Tavakolian, Photographer, Magnum Photos, Iran

Nicolas Jimenez, Director of Photography, Le Monde, France

Oliva Maria Rubio, Directora Artística de La Fábrica, PhotoEspaña

Olivier Laurent, Photography Editor, The Washington Post, USA

Patricia Lanza, Art Consultant & Creative Director, USA

Paul di Felice, Senior Lecturer in Visual Arts, University of Luxembourg, Luxembourg

Paula Tognarelli, Executive Director, Griffin Museum of Photography, USA

Pavel Banka, Editor in Chief, Fotograf Magazine, Czech Republic

Paweł Szypulski, Curator, Krakow Month of Photography, Poland

Peggy Sue Amison, Artistic Director, East Wing Gallery, Qatar

Phillip Prodger, Senior Research Scholar, Yale Center For British Art, USA

Raffaela Lepanto, Photo Editor/University of the Arts London, UK

Rebecca Morse, Curator, Wallis Annenberg Photography Department, LACMA, USA

Regina Maria Anzenberger, Founder, Anzenberger Gallery, Austria

Régina Monfort, Photo Editor, FotoEvidence, USA

Richard A. Brooks, Deputy Photo Director, Asia Pacific, Agence France-Presse (AFP), Hong Kong

Richard Renaldi, Photographer, Richard Renaldi Photography, USA

Roger Archibald, Photo Editor, Society of Environmental Journalists, USA

Ron Haviv, Visual Journalist, Filmmaker, Co-Founder, The VII Foundation, USA

Roxanne Behr, Visuals Director, GQ Magazine, USA

Roy Kahmann, Founder & Owner, Kahmann Gallery | GUP Magazine, Netherlands

Rui Prata, Director, Museu da Imagem, Portugal

Ruth Offen, Director/Curator, WaterWorks Gallery, USA

Sacha Lecca, Deputy Photo Editor, Rolling Stone Magazine, USA

Sadie Quarrier, Senior Photo Editor, National Geographic Magazine, USA

Sam Barzilay, Creative Director, United Photo Industries and Photoville, USA

Sarah Leen, Director of Photography, National Geographic Magazine, USA

Sean Corcoran, Curator of Prints and Photographs, Museum of the City of New York, USA

Sean O’Hagan, Critic and Writer, The Guardian and The Observer, UK

Selva Barni, Founder & Editor, Fantom Editions, Italy

Serge Belet, Senior Exhibitions Manager, National Gallery of Canada, Canada

Shoair Mavlian, Director & Curator, PHOTOWORKS, UK

Silvia Mangialardi, Artistic Director, Encuentros Abiertos, Argentina

Simon Bainbridge, Editorial Director, British Journal of Photography, UK

Siobhán Bohnacker, Senior Photo Editor, The New Yorker, USA

Stacey Baker, Associate Photo Editor, The New York Times Magazine, USA

Stephen Mayes, Executive Director, Tim Hetherington Trust, USA

Stephen Perloff, Editor, The Photo Review, USA

Steven Evans, Executive Director, FotoFest International, USA

Sujong Song, Independent Photography Professional, South Korea

Susan Spiritus, Owner, Susan Spiritus Gallery, USA

Susan White, Photography Director, WeWork, USA

Susan Zadeh, Founder/Photography Director, Eyemazing Editions, Netherlands

Taj Forer, Cofounder, Fabl and Daylight Books, USA

Thomas Seelig, Director, Folkwang Museum, Switzerland

Todd Hido, Artist and Photographer, USA

Todd James, Senior Photo Editor, National Geographic Society, USA

Todd Tubutis, Director, Art Museum of West Virginia University, USA

Tomoka Aya, Owner/Director, The Third EyeGallery Aya, Tokyo, Japan

Ute Noll, Photo Director, Du Kulturmagazin, Germany

Volker Lensch, Photo Editor, Stern Magazine, Germany

Whitney Johnson, VP Visual Experiences, National Geographic, USA

Wim Melis, Curator, Noorderlicht Photography, Netherlands

Xavier Canonne, Director, Musée de la Photographie, Belgium

Xavier Soule, CEO, Agence VU & Gallery VU, France

Yasunori Hoki, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief, Super Labo Publishing, Japan

Yuko Yamaji, Curator, Kiyosato Museum of Photographic Arts, Japan

Yumi Goto, Curator, Editor, Publisher, Founder, Reminders Project, Japan

Yuting Duan, Festival Founder and Director, Lianzhou Foto, China


Permanent Exhibition on LensCulture online gallery
LensCulture has become a key resource for discovering new photography work all over the world.
All winners, finalists and juror’s picks for this award will be prominently featured in the permanent online gallery on our site.
This is a wonderful opportunity to have your work seen by thousands of people around the world with a true love and appreciation for photography.

Published in The Best of LensCulture, Volume 4
In partnership with Schilt Publishing, we’re thrilled to be planning our fourth book, featuring the work of LensCulture’s award-winning photographers. This beautifully printed and unique collection of photographic work will be available for purchase and distributed to influential industry members worldwide.

International Press Exposure
Award winners receive press coverage from publications and media outlets around the world — the kind of exposure that can lead to viral, global recognition of your work. Winners, finalists and selected entrants have been featured in major publications including BBC, The Guardian, The Washington Post, Internazionale, VICE, The Times of London, Huffington Post, Spiegel Online, The British Journal of Photography, and The Telegraph. Share your work with the world.
Be sure to check out our latest feature on The Guardian, a beautiful image gallery showcasing the work of our Visual Storytelling Award-winners with the world.
Awards & Benefits
Series Award Winners
1st Place: $5000
2nd Place: $3000
3rd Place: $1500
Single Image Award Winners
1st Place: $3000
2nd Place: $1500
3rd Place: $1000
Jurors’ Picks
Each juror will select an individual Juror’s Pick to receive special distinction.
Finalists
25 Finalists will be selected.
“Taking pictures is like tiptoeing into the kitchen late at night and stealing Oreo cookies.”
— Diane Arbus
participate
engage,
share,
connect
© Adam, Edouard Taufenbach, 2019, courtesy Galerie Binome
When you share your work with us, you participate in a community of international photographers with more than three million members worldwide. The opportunities for connection, inspiration, and participation are endless — don’t miss your chance to get involved!
LensCulture is on a mission to discover the most imaginative, talented, creative photographers out there, regardless of location, age, background or experience level.
6 Winners7 Jurors’ picks25 FinalistsEditors‘ Picks**
$15,000 in Grant Awards
Exhibition at Galerie Joseph during Paris Photo 2019
Published in The Best of LensCulture, Volume 4
Visibility with LensCulture Insiders
Art Photography Awards 2019 Online Exhibition
A Series of International Photo Festival Projections
International Press Exposure
Professional Review by Photo Industry Specialist*
LensCulture Portfolio Account***
Massive Exposure to our Global Audience of 3 Million
Share your Work with the Global Photography Community
Opportunities for Immediate Exposure
* Professional Review: Available for all Series entries and 5+ Single entries
** Editors’ Picks: During the competition, LensCulture’s editors will curate hundreds of entries for immediate exposure to our global audience through the competition gallery and our Facebook page.
*** LensCulture Portfolio Account: Available for all Series entries and 5+ Single entries
show us
your work!
© Doug Fogelson
There are no limitations on age, level, genre or location. For further information, please see our FAQ.
Open to all types of art photography
conceptual|experimental|landscape|alternative process|camera-less|narrative|cinematic|fashion|abstract|appropriation|still life portraiture|environmental|found imagery|analog
Closed for new entries.
Are you currently an enrolled student?
Get a 30% discount on your entry fee. Start your submission and select the option to register as a student. Your discount will then be automatically applied to your entry.
“You bring to the act of photography all the pictures you have seen, the books you have read, the music you have heard, the people you have loved.”
— Ansel Adams
success
stories
© Wenhang Lin
Recognition in the global photography community
For 15 years, LensCulture has been committed to helping photographers of all levels move forward creatively and professionally. In that time, we have heard from hundreds of photographers who were able to achieve breakthroughs in their careers through participation in the LensCulture community.
  • Irmina Walczak
    Brazil
  • Marcus DeSieno
    United States
  • Sylvain Heraud
    France
  • Albarrán Cabrera
    Spain
  • Frank Herfort
    Germany
  • Tara Bogart
    United States
  • Matt Eich
    United States
  • Sophie Gabrielle
    Australia
  • Ofir Barak
    Israel
  • Sergio Garcia Gavaldà
    Spain
  • Antonio Privitera
    Italy
  • Medina Dugger
    Nigeria
  • Streetmax
    United Kingdom
  • Aaron Hardin
    United States
  • Weronika Gęsicka
    Poland
  • Yoshikatsu Fujii
    Japan
  • Philip Kanwischer
    Canada
  • Annabel Oosteweeghel
    The Netherlands
  • Peter Braunholz
    Germany
  • Sylvain Biard
    France
We respect artists’ rights
All photographers retain full copyrights for their own work. Period. Winners, Jurors’ Picks and Finalists grant LensCulture limited, restricted use of winning photos only to promote the photographers themselves and in connection with marketing the Awards competition itself. Details can be found in the Competition rules.
© Quentin Shih