Lens Culture International Exposure Awards discover, reward, and promote talented, new, emerging and established photographers and multimedia creators from around the world.

We’re looking for exciting work from every continent, and from diverse points of view: documentary, fine art, nature, photojournalism, activism, street photography, sports, fashion, poetic, personal, abstract and human.

A stellar international jury of photography experts will review and judge every entry submitted.

The winners for 2011 can be seen here!

Thanks to everyone who participated.


Three Categories for Awards in 2011:

Multimedia Awards
This year, we introduce an important new category to the Awards competition — Multimedia.

Presentations that combine photography, video, graphics and sound are becoming prominent headline features in the world of social networking, activism, fine art, and online news. Photographers are taking more and more control over how their work is edited, produced and presented. And we want to discover who is creating the most engaging multimedia projects today.

Multimedia from all genres and categories will be considered, including, but not limited to: current events / photojournalism / social issues / activism / fine art / conceptual / cinematic / fiction / storytelling / nature / other.

Maximum length should be 8 minutes. If your full-length multimedia piece is longer than 8 minutes, please submit an edit, or a trailer or teaser of 8 minutes or shorter. You can also submit one still image plus a link to your multimedia. The link should be part of your artist's statement. Winners will be shown in their full original length. Entry fee: $75.

Portfolio Awards
Submit 10 to 15 photographic images that work well together as a group — thematically, aesthetically, as a story, or simply as a range of your photographic talent. Edit your selections carefully, since this category will be judged on the strength of the group of photographs as a whole, and not as individual photographs. Entry fee: $75.

Single Image Awards
Often, a single powerful photograph captures our attention as important, artistic, meaningful, and memorable. A great photo can stand on its own, demonstrating a remarkable level of visual perception, sensitivity, and creativity. Photographs of all genres and all categories are welcome. Entry fee: $35.

25 Honorable Mention Awards:
25 Honorable Mention photographs or multimedia (chosen by the judges from all categories) will win prominent placement of a single image on the Award Winner's Page in Lens Culture, including a link to your own personal or professional website. PLUS publication in our deluxe 2011 International Exposure Awards Winners catalog, and the possibility of participation in public exhibitions and screenings around the world.

Enter today!
Applicants must submit their entries online at: http://lensculture.slideroom.com. After you have uploaded your entries and information, you will be asked to pay your submission fee. Our online portal offers additional instruction for submitting work. For complete submission guidelines and rules, please see our FAQs and rules.


About Lens Culture
Lens Culture is one of the most popular and influential online magazines about contemporary photography today. On average, the site attracts 10,000+ unique visitors every day, from more than 50 countries (over 3 million visits each year). Our audience includes photography collectors, photo editors, book publishers, museum curators, art gallery owners, agents, critics, journalists, festival directors, and other passionate lovers of photography. Several artists whose photographs have gained attention as a result of their feature in Lens Culture have won book publishing contracts, solo and group art gallery shows, museum exhibitions, participation in international photography festivals, and commissions from around the world. Select artists are offered the opportunity to sell limited editions of their work through Lens Culture Editions, earning them thousands of dollars from sales to international art collectors.


Previous Award Winners
Thank you to everyone who participated in 2010 — Photographers from 47 countries submitted 6,525 photographs! All 2010 Award winners and honorable mentions (including links to each of the winners' websites) can be seen online now. All 2010 winners feature as part of a traveling group exhibition at galleries in Paris, San Francisco and New York in 2011. You can preview and purchase the 2010 winners catalog here: