emerging talent
awards 2014
call for entries
Closed for entries. Winners will be announced in late July 2014
Seeking 50 of the World’s
Best Emerging Photographers
LensCulture’s Emerging Talent Awards 2014 is an international competition to showcase outstanding emerging photographers — from all cultures, all points of view, with no age limit.
Our mission at LensCulture is to discover and share the best of contemporary photography. New and emerging photographers often make the freshest, most exciting work — but it’s hard to gain attention when you are relatively new and not widely known. That’s where we can make a big difference. We reach an audience of more than 500,000 — and with these awards, we want to highlight many emerging talents who deserve worldwide attention.
Competition Gallery
Featured entries selected by LensCulture Editors. Enter now, it's a great opportunity for immediate exposure.
2014 International Jury
Olivier Laurent is Editor of LightBox, TIME's photography website, which provides a window into the process of how great photographs are made, and draws attention to inspiring projects and groundbreaking work by established masters and new pioneers.
Previously, he was the Associate Editor for British Journal of Photography, the world’s longest running photography magazine established in 1854, and the Editor of FLTR, the world’s first weekly magazine on smartphone photography.
He has sat on the juries of the Visa pour l'Image Web Documentary Award, the Carmignac Gestion Photojournalism Prize, the FotoEvidence First Photobook Award, the Getty Images Grants for Editorial, the Visa d’Or News and Features, Photoreporter Festival, LensCulture Emerging Talent Awards and World Press Photo's Joop Swart Masterclass.
“One of the most authoritative and wide ranging sites.”
“A definitive resource for anyone who wants to keep up with the latest trends and debates in contemporary photography.”
exposure begins now
Photo © Mindaugas AzusilisCareer-Launching Awards
GALLERY EXHIBITION + PRINTED PUBLICATION + INTERNATIONAL EXPOSURE
- After the June 22nd deadline, our jury will select the Top 50 Emerging Talents to be featured in a Barcelona gallery exhibition and in festival screenings around the world. They will also receive massive online exposure on LensCulture, social media, and more.
- The Top 50 Emerging Talents will also be included in the Emerging Talent 2014 Printed Annual sent to LensCulture Insiders’ network of influential photography professionals including editors, curators, festival directors, publishers, gallery directors, and related professionals.
- Every day, our editors select entries to receive immediate exposure in our Competition Gallery and via social media. Enter now to be considered for this immediate exposure opportunity to over 500,000 people. Please note, we do not publish every entry, just entries selected by our editors.
Awards & Benefits
Barcelona Exhibition
A gala exhibition in Barcelona, Spain for the Top 50 Emerging Talents. Bottom Row: Images from the Gala Exhibition in London for the LensCulture Exposure Awards 2013 Winners & Finalists.
LensCulture Emerging Talent Printed Annual
A museum-quality catalogue with the work of the Top 50 photographers will be mailed to LensCulture Insiders, our network of influential photography professionals. They will have the opportunity to see the award-winning photos in beautiful printed form.
The Top 50 photographers will each be given a full-page spread
Worldwide Screenings
Work from the Top 50 Winners will be screened at photo festivals and events worldwide throughout the year.
Massive Online Promotion
Work from the Top 50 photographers will be posted on social media channels where we have seen incredible reach — as high as 738,882 people in one week.
LensCulture Insiders Visibility
Hundreds of the top-rated submissions from this competition will be shared with LensCulture Insiders, our network of influential photography professionals. We believe this kind of exposure is critical for photographers to gain valuable opportunities.
Aaron Schuman, Editor, SeeSaw Magazine, UK
Alessandra Capodacqua, Curator, Author, Educator, Studio Marangoni, Italy
Aline Smithson, Founder/Editor, Lenscratch, USA
Alison Nordstrom, Consulting Curator for International Programs, Griffin Museum of Photography, USA
Alyssa Coppelman, Photo Editor, Slate, Feature Shoot, USA
Anna Dickson, Photography Director, AOL/Huffington Post Media Group, USA
Anna Gripp, Editor , Photonews, Germany
Anna Skillman, Owner/Director, Jackson Fine Arts, USA
Anne Bourgeois-Vignon, Creative Content Director, London, UK
Anne Morin, Curator/Director, diChroma photography, Spain
Barbara Tannenbaum, Curator of Photography, The Cleveland Museum of Art, USA
Bas Vroege, Director, Paradox and YDoc, Netherlands
Bevin Bering Dubrowski, Director, Houston Center for Photography, USA
Bjarke Myrthu, Founder & CEO, Blindspot, USA
Brian Clamp, Owner/Director, ClampArt Gallery, USA
Brian Storm, Founder & Executive Producer, MediaStorm, USA
Carlos Carvalho, Director, International Festival of Photography of Porto Alegre, Brazil
Charlotte van Lingen, Curator, Kunsthal Rotterdam , Netherlands
Christophe de Jaeger, Curator, Center For Fine Arts Brussels, Belgium
Christophe Laloi, Artistic Director, Voies Off Arles, France
Daphné Anglès, European Photo Assignment Editor, The New York Times, France
David Birkitt, Director, DMB Represents, UK
David Drake, Director, Ffotogallery, Wales
Debra Klomp Ching, Owner/Director, Klompching Gallery, USA
Ed Carey, Director, Gallery 291, USA
Elda Harrington, Director, Escuela Argentina de Fotografia, Argentina
Elena Firsova, Managing Editor, Foto&Video Magazine, Russia
Elisabeth Biondi, Independent Curator, Biondi Foto, USA
Elizabeth Avedon, Photobook Designer/Blogger, Elizabeth Avedon, USA
Elizabeth Lapp, Curator and Image Guru, Flickr/Yahoo, USA
Emily Adams, Exhibitions Director, PhotoEspaña, Spain
Enrico Bossan, Editorial Director, Colors Magazine, Italy
Erik Vroons, Chief Editor , GUP Magazine, Netherlands
Francis Hodgson, Photography Critic, Financial Times of London, UK
Francoise Callier, Program Coordinator, Angkor Photo Festival, France
Freddy Denaes, Publisher, Editions de l'Oeil, France
Frits Gierstberg, Curator, Nederlands Fotomuseum Rotterdam, Netherlands
Gad Edery, CEO, Gad Collection, France
Greg Hobson, Curator of Photographs, National Media Museum, UK
Hannah Watson, Director, Trolley Books, UK
Hélène Joye-Cagnard, Codirectrice, Journées photgraphiques de Bienne Biel-Bienne, Switzerland
Ihiro Hayami, Director, Tokyo Institute of Photography, Japan
James Wellford, Photo Editor, Curator & Educator, , USA
Jason Landry, Owner/Director, Panopticon Gallery, USA
Jeff Gates, Managing Editor, American Art's Blog, Smithsonian Institution, USA
Jeff Moorfoot, Festival Director, Ballarat International Foto Biennal, Australia
Jessie Wender, Photo Editor, The New Yorker, USA
Joanne Junga Yang, Director of International Committee, Seoul Photo Festival, Korea
Julien Jourdes, Co-Founder and COO, Blink, USA
Karol Hordziej, President & Art Director, Foundation for Visual Art & Krakow Photomonth, Poland
Krzysztof Candrowicz, Artistic Director, Hamburg Triennial of Photography, Germany
Lars Boering, Director, Lux Photo Gallery, Netherlands
Laura Serani, Deleguée artistique, Mois de la Photo à Paris, France
Linda Benedict-Jones, Curator of Photography, Carnegie Museum of Art, USA
Louise Clements, Co-Founder/Director, QUAD and Format Festival, UK
Maarten Schilt, Publisher, Schilt Publishing, Netherlands
Magdalena Herrera, Director of Photography, GEO, France
Manila Camarini, Photo Editor, D La Repubblica, Italy
Manuel Rivera-Ortiz, President/Founder, Manuel Rivera-Ortiz Foundation for Documentary Photography & Film, USA
Marie-Pierre Subtil, Chief Editor, 6 Mois, France
Marion Hislen, Director, Circulation(s) Festival, France
Mary Virginia Swanson, Author, Educator, and Consultant, MVS & Assoc., USA
Matt Shonfeld, Executive Director, Institute for Artist Management, UK
Matthew Craig, Co-Founder and CEO, Blink, USA
Michael Weir, Founder & Artistic Director, Belfast Photo Festival, Northern Ireland
Michelle Dunn Marsh, Executive Director/Founder, Pacific Center Northwest, USA
Miriam Romais, Executive Director, En Foco Inc, USA
Molly Roberts, Chief Photography Editor, Smithsonian Magazine, USA
Moritz Neumüller, Festival Curator/Program Director, Istituto Europeo di Design, Spain
Moshe Rosenzveig, Director/Photographer, Head On Photo Festival , Australia
Natasha Egan, Associate Director, Museum of Contemporary Photography at Columbia College, USA
Nathalie Gallon, Director, Foundation Carmignac Gestion, France
Nathalie Herschdorfer, Curator, Director, Museum of Fine Arts, Le Locle, Switzerland
Patricia Lanza, Content Director, Annenberg Space for Photography, USA
Paul di Felice, Director, European Month of Photography, Luxembourg
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, Dubai
Raffaela Lepanto, Photo Editor/Consultant, PhotoFusion Photography Centre , UK
Richard A. Brooks, Deputy Photo Director, Agence France-Presse, China
Roman Härer, Creative Director, plainpicture, Germany
Rui Prata, Director, Museu da Imagem, Portugal
Régina Monfort, Photographer/Consulting Editor, FotoEvidence, USA
Sam Barzilay, Festival Director, Photoville, USA
Sara Guerrini, Picture Editor, Newsweek Europe, UK
Sarah Leen, Director of Photography, National Geographic Magazine, USA
Scott Mc Kiernan, Vice President, National Press Photographers Association, USA
Selva Barni, Founder & Editor, Fantom Editions, Italy
Silvia Mangialardi, Editor, Fotomundo Magazine, Argentina
Stephen Mayes, Executive Director, Tim Hetherington Trust, USA
Stephen Perloff, Editor, The Photo Review, USA
Susan Zadeh, Photography Director, Eyemazing Editions, Netherlands
Suzanne Opton, Photographer, Educator, International Center for Photography, USA
Sébastian Hau, Director, Le Bal Books, France
Taj Forer , Director, Daylight Magazine, USA
Xavier Soule, President/Director, Gallery VU, France
Ángel Luis González, Director, PhotoIreland, Ireland
Feature Articles on LensCulture
Work from the Top 50 photographers will be published in a series of feature articles on LensCulture along with a Home Page Spotlight for over eight weeks.
Immediate Exposure on LensCulture & Social Media
Just by entering your work, you have an opportunity for immediate exposure through our Competition Gallery and social media. Our editors review incoming work daily so we recommend not waiting until the deadline!
Five $2,000 Emerging Talent Grants
Each of our five judges will personally select a photographer to receive a $2,000 grant.
| — JURY SELECTED — | LENSCULTURE | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Top 5 | Top 50 | Editors’ Cut | |
| Five $2,000 Emerging Talent Grants | |||
| Exhibition in Barcelona, Spain | |||
| Worldwide Screenings | |||
| Emerging Talent 2014 Printed Annual | |||
| Massive Online Promotion | |||
| LensCulture Feature Article | |||
| Visibility with LensCulture Insiders | |||
| Immediate Exposure on LensCulture | |||
| LensCulture Portfolio Account | |||
connecting talent to opportunity
Photo © Konstancja Nowina KonopkaExposure. Reach. Results. This has been LensCulture’s mantra and it seems to be working. We are building the best platform in the world for exposing the work of talented photographers to a global audience. Often this exposure leads to career-building opportunities — see for yourself!
Success Stories
“I first saw Elena’s work when her photos were highlighted earlier this year at a French festival of young photographers. We published her series Days of Night, Nights of Day and what happened next was truly astounding. The post went viral, reaching over 738K people in just one week. Her work presents a unique story that grips people from the start.” — Jim Casper, Editor
“When we published Alain Laboile’s series La Famille, more than 572,000 people were reached on Facebook alone. This intimate family album documents the freedom of childhood among six siblings “at the edge of the world” in rural France.” — Jim Casper, Editor
“I have had a huge increase in interest in my work since the award was announced. I have begun working with a private dealer who has purchased several prints; I have had serious interest from a dealer in Moscow; I have been approached by a commercial agency in Spain; my work will be the subject of articles in several print magazines across the globe as well as in numerous features on photo sites and blogs; about 1000 new Facebook fans; and traffic to my website increased by almost 500%!”
LensCulture Exposure Awards 2013
“I have to tell you that my email has been busy non-stop ever since the announcement of the LensCulture Exposure Awards. LensCulture has indeed given me great exposure worldwide. I have had really good luck in the press lately, and it’s still snowballing! It took my name to an international level. Look at where my work has been featured since I won: Huffington Post (US), iGnant (Germany), BUST (US), Daily Life (Australia), Medium, TAXI, Escapism (Canada), Il Post (Italy). Also, I have been invited to a residency in Finland, contacted by a UK collector, a Chilean Museum and a European publisher for possible projects. It’s truly been the best award I’ve won!”
LensCulture Exposure Awards 2013
“Winning the 2011 LensCulture portfolio grand prize and attending the portfolio reviews in Paris that November was a breakthrough for me. It led directly to the 2012 publication of my book Sea Change by Kehrer and a solo exhibition of the work at London’s Oxo Gallery. I’ve had book reviews in The Observer newspaper and Source magazine, and features in magazines and blogs from The Guardian weekend magazine to Reddit - which gave rise to a huge spike in visitors to my website. My Sea Change book is almost sold out.”
LensCulture Exposure Awards 2011
show us your stuff
Photo © Ayman OghannaWe Believe in Exposing Talented Photographers
We’re open to all types of photography, all points of view, and ALL ages. If you’re a photographer starting to seek global recognition, show us your work! Who’s an “emerging” photographer? Anyone who has not yet received significant international recognition. Please see our FAQ for more details.
Closed for entries. Winners will be announced in late July 2014
All photographers retain full copyrights for their own work. Period. Winners 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
