Portrait Awards 2026 – Deadline February 18, 2026Enter Today
$10,000 in Awards • Exhibition in London • Worldwide Projections • International Exposure
Closed for Entries. Winners will be announced in early February.

6th annual global call for photography

The LensCulture Exposure Awards 2014 is an international competition that aims to discover and showcase the best photographers from all over the world. Share your images with the world for a chance at over <span class="semi-bold">$10,000 in awards</span>, as well as a <span class="semi-bold">world-class exhibition</span> in London and <span class="semi-bold">massive exposure to our global audience of over 900,000.</span> Our international jury of notable industry professionals will select six top winners in two categories and 25 finalists. These are our largest international awards of the year and YOU are invited to submit your best photographs and get worldwide recognition.

Deadline: Monday, December 22, 2014

Enter Competition

open to all types of photography

FINE ART • PORTRAIT • LANDSCAPE • ARCHITECTURE • INTERIORS • ALTERNATIVE PROCESS • PHOTOJOURNALISM • DOCUMENTARY • CONCEPTUAL <br> STILL LIFE • B & W • NATURE • STREET PHOTOGRAPHY • ABSTRACT • EXPERIMENTAL • STAGED

exposure awards 2014 international jury

Sarah Leen
Director of Photography<br> <strong>National Geographic Magazine</strong><br> Worldwide<br> www.nationalgeographic.com
more about Sarah
<p> Sarah Leen is the Director of Photography for National Geographic magazine. For nearly 20 years prior she worked as a freelance photographer publishing 16 stories in the magazine. She joined the staff in 2004 as a Senior Photo Editor. <br> Leen graduated with a BA in Fine Arts in 1974 from the University of Missouri, Columbia and continued with graduate studies at the Missouri School of Journalism. Leen was the College Photographer of the Year in 1979 and worked as a staff photographer for both the Topeka Capital Journal and the Philadelphia Inquirer until 1982. She published 16 stories in National Geographic magazine as a photographer. <br> Leen has won numerous awards for her photography in the Pictures of the Year (POYi) and the World Press Photos competition. In 2007 and 2008 she won first place Magazine Picture Editing Portfolio from POYi and second place in 2011. <br> In 2010 Leen was the curator of National Geographic magazine’s Water is Life exhibit at the Annenberg Space for Photography in Los Angeles, the Beyond the Photograph exhibit at the National Geographic Society headquarters in 2011 and in 2013 curated exhibit at the Annenberg Space, The Power of Photography: National Geographic 125 Years. </p>
Xavier Soule
Président <br> <strong> Agence VU’ &<br> Galerie VU’ </strong><br> Paris, France<br> www.agencevu.com
more about Xavier
Xavier Soule is the president and director of Agence VU’, one of the most renowned agencies and galleries for photographers in France and Europe. Galerie VU’ presents six exhibits a year. The aim is to affirm, on the walls, the diversity of contemporary stylistic photographic approaches, and to compare and contrast current viewpoints, so they can dialogue with their differences. Galerie VU' works like any other commercial gallery: it is simultaneously a space for exhibiting and selling collectors' editions, offering monograph approaches, authors' dialogues, group or thematic approaches.
Karin Bareman
Assistant Curator<br> <strong>Foam</strong><br> Amsterdam,<br> The Netherlands<br> www.foam.org
more about Karin
Karin Bareman (b. 1982, the Netherlands) studied Anthropology and Visual Anthropology in Amsterdam and Manchester, focusing on the relationship between audiovisual culture and memories especially in relation to the former USSR. She has worked as Assistant Curator at Foam since 2010, and she regularly writes about photography. Her articles have appeared amongst others in Foam Magazine, Unseen Magazine, Off the Afternoon, on American Suburb X and on her online platform karinbareman.blogspot.nl. She lives and works in Amsterdam.
Darius Himes
International Head of Photographs<br> <strong>Christie's</strong><br> New York/Paris/London<br> www.christies.com
more about Darius
Darius Himes is the first International Head of Photographs for Christie's, joining in November 2014. Prior to that, he was Director of Fraenkel Gallery in San Francisco (2011-2014). In his curatorial career, he has collaborated with a wide range of photographers, from Lee Friedlander to Alec Soth and Katy Grannan. He has also worked with some of the top institutions across the United States: The Art Institute of Chicago, David Zwirner Gallery and the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Himes has contributed writing to Aperture, American Photo, Blind Spot, Bookforum, BOMB, PDN, and Lay Flat. He also co-authored the title, "Publish Your Photography Book," a popular guide (now in its second edition) to the illustrated book publishing industry.
Anna G. Dickson
Photography Director<br> <strong>Huffington Post/AOL</strong><br> New York, NY<br> www.huffingtonpost.com
more about Anna
Anna Dickson is the Director of Photography for the Huffington Post. Her career spans 10 years working in the industry for both print publications as well as online. Anna started her photo editing career at Netscape in 2004, moving a year later to New York City to pursue a career in print. She worked at publications such as Guitar World, Revolver, Future Music, Rolling Stone and Popular Photography prior to heading back to the digital world for iHeartRadio where she oversaw 850 websites and large scale events including the iHeartRadio Music festival. In 2012, Anna helped launch Huffington, the iPad Magazine before moving to Photography Director for the organization.
Eder Chiodetto
Curator of Photography<br> <strong>Museum of Modern Art of São Paulo </strong><br> São Paulo, Brazil<br> mam.org.br
more about Eder
Eder Chiodetto is a curator, writer, editor and teacher. He has been the curator of photography of the Museum of Modern Art of São Paulo (MAM-SP) since 2006. In his career as a curator he has held important exhibitions in Brazil and abroad, including major shows in Tokyo and Paris. Chiodetto is the author of the book The Writer's Place and has also worked as an editorial curator on many different photography-related volumes. As a teacher, he is currently guiding the work of over 60 contemporary photographers.
Mutsuko Ota
Editorial Director<br> <strong>IMA Magazine</strong><br> Tokyo, Japan<br> imaonline.jp
more about Mutsuko
Mutsuko Ota is the Editorial Director of IMA magazine in Tokyo. Besides IMA magazine, she also produced the IMA CONCEPT STORE, a space for popularizing art photography in Japan. She curates photography exhibitions regularly for the IMA Gallery. She began her career as an editor at Marie Claire and then worked for several other magazines such as Esquire and GQ.
Sam Barzilay
Creative Director<br> <strong> United Photo Industries & Photoville </strong><br> New York, NY<br> UnitedPhotoIndustries.com
Photovillenyc.org
more about Sam
Serving as United Photo Industries’ Creative Director, Sam Barzilay is also the co-founder of Photoville, a modular venue built out of re-purposed shipping containers in Brooklyn Bridge Park, on the waterfront of New York City. <br> Prior to founding United Photo Industries and launching the United Photo Industries Gallery, he was the Director of the New York Photo Festival. In his dual capacity as curator and festival organizer, he has had the pleasure and privilege of curating photo exhibitions and lecturing on current trends in contemporary photography as far afield as China, Greece, USA, and Japan. <br> Over the past few years, he has served as juror, nominator, and reviewer for the Prix Pictet, Les Rencontres d’Arles, Houston FotoFest, the New York Photo Awards, Artists Wanted, the Google Photography Prize, the SilverEye Fellowship, and the FotoVisura Grant, among many others.
Jim Casper
Editor & Publisher<br> <strong>LensCulture</strong><br> Paris, France<br> lensculture.com
more about Jim
Jim Casper is the founding editor and publisher of LensCulture, one of the leading destinations for contemporary photography from around the world. As an active member in the contemporary photography world, Casper organizes annual international photography portfolio review events, curates arts 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. He serves on the board of directors at SPE, the Society for Photographic Education, the world’s largest association of photography educators.
From the series ‘Greenland’ © Ciril Jazbec<br> Honorable Mention, Exposure Awards 2013

exposure begins now

awards & benefits

    <li> Over <span class="semi-bold">$10,000</span> in awards and <span class="semi-bold">opportunities for hundreds</span> of entrants to gain global exposure and career-changing recognition. </li> <li> <span class="semi-bold">Six Winners and 25 Finalists</span> will be shown at a gala exhibition in London and will be included in the LensCulture Exposure Awards 2014 Printed Annual. </li> <li> <span class="semi-bold">Massive exposure to our global audience of over 900,000,</span> including photography enthusiasts and industry experts on lensculture.com and social media. </li> <li> Direct <span class="semi-bold">visibility to photo industry</span> curators, directors, editors and publishers. </li>
— JURY SELECTED — LENSCULTURE
{page_title: {emerging_talent_awards_2014: "LensCulture Emerging Talents Awards 2014 Winners", lensculture_portrait_awards_2014: "LensCulture Portrait Awards 2014 Winners"}} 25 Finalists Editors' Picks*
$10,000 in Cash Awards
London Exhibition
Projections in 5 Major Cities
Exposure Awards 2014 Printed Annual
Featured Article on LensCulture.com
Live, Online Review with Juror
Massive Online Exposure
Visibility with LensCulture Insiders
Immediate Exposure in Competition Gallery
Invitation-only LensCulture Portfolio Account

*Editors' Picks: LensCulture editors will select hundreds of photographers during the competition for immediate exposure to our global audience of over 900,000, visibility with LensCulture Insiders, and an invitation-only LensCulture Portfolio account.

learn more about the awards:

Cash Awards

Series Award:
Grand Prize $3000<br> 2nd Prize: $2000<br> 3rd Prize: $1000

Single Image Award:
Grand Prize $2500<br> 2nd Prize: $1000<br> 3rd Prize: $500

Exhibition at Photo London

All winners & finalists work will be exhibited at <span class='semi-bold'>Photo London</span> – a major international photography event for collectors and the general public that will take place at <span class='semi-bold'>Somerset House</span>, in London, from 21-24 May 2015. All printing and framing will be generously donated by <span class='semi-bold'>Genesis Imaging</span>, UK. This is world-class exposure at its best!

International Photo Festivals

Top selected work from Winners and Finalists will be digitally projected at photo festivals and events throughout the year.

LensCulture Exposure Awards 2014 Printed Annual

A museum-quality competition catalog featuring the Winners and Finalists work will be distributed to hundreds of <span class="semi-bold">LensCulture Insiders</span> and industry experts including editors, curators, festival directors, publishers, gallery directors and more.

Winners & Finalists receive a full page spread. Left & below, samples from the Emerging Talent 2014 Annual.

LensCulture Insiders Visibility

Work from Winners and Finalists plus hundreds of the other top-rated photographers from this competition will be shared with <span class="semi-bold">LensCulture Insiders</span>, 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

Live, Online Review Session with a Juror

All Winners and Finalists will have the opportunity to participate in a live, online review of their work with a member of our jury using our new review platform, LensCulture Sessions. You will get valuable feedback, expert advice and will learn how to get more exposure for your work.

Massive Online Promotion for Winners and Finalists

Work from Winners and Finalists will be shared across our global network of over 900,000 on LensCulture.com, our email list, and multiple social media channels. We have found this to be a very effective strategy for getting photographers exposure that leads to opportunities—see our <a href="#success-stories">Success Stories</a>.

Promotions include a Feature article on LensCulture, Facebook & Flipboard

Immediate Exposure on LensCulture and Social Media

Just by entering your work, you have an opportunity for immediate exposure in our Competition Gallery and multiple social media channels. Our editors review incoming work daily so we recommend not waiting until the deadline — start your submission now for a chance at immediate exposure!

“My biggest success came as a direct result of submitting my photos to LensCulture. One of my photos was featured on LensCulture’s Facebook page before the contest results were even announced and it was seen by someone at Harper’s. Harper’s contacted me and asked if they could publish 3 of my photos!... It felt amazing to see my photos in every newsstand across the US. It would not have happened without LensCulture.”

<span class='semi-bold'>Dayna Bartoli, Norway</span><br> Finalist, LensCulture New & Emerging Photographers 2013
Playing © Chee Keong Lim<br> 1st place, Single Image Category, Exposure Awards 2013

show us your best stuff

Photography has the power to transcend barriers and connect people everywhere. We welcome submissions by photographers from every culture in the world! In this <span class="semi-bold">truly global competition</span>, we hope to discover and share this year’s best photographers from every corner of the map. <span class="semi-bold">Don’t miss this opportunity</span> to be recognized as one of the best photographers the world has to offer.

To truly capture 2014’s best photography from around the world, there are no limitations on age, level, genre, or location. For further information, please see our FAQ.

Closed for Entries. Winners will be announced in early February.
We respect artist’s rights

All photographers retain full copyrights for their own work. Period. <br> 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.<br> Details can be found in the Competition rules

“I received a lot of attention after being published in LensCulture! First, my work was published in a couple of US magazines and then, I was offered an exhibition in New York City at the Robert Mann Gallery in Chelsea!”

<span class='semi-bold'>Maroesjka Lavigne, Belgium</span><br> Grand Prize Winner, LensCulture New & Emerging Photographers 2013
Divine wind or “kamikaze” © David Favrod from Hikari<br> 1st Prize Winner, Portfolio, Exposure Awards 2013

connecting talent to opportunity

success stories

Exposure. Reach. Results. This has been LensCulture’s mantra — it seems to be working!<br> We are committed to creating the most effective photography competitions in the world for exposing the work of talented photographers to a massive global audience. Often this exposure leads to career-building opportunities, take a look for yourself!

  • Kirsty Mitchell
    London, United Kingdom

    Recent Visual Storytelling 2014 Winner Kirsty Mitchell shares Wonderland, the amazing fictional narrative she just completed. See what happens after her LensCulture win was announced, it's a beautiful story on every level.

  • Laura Stevens
    Paris, France

    Emerging Talent 2014 Winner Laura Stevens shares her story of one woman's journey throughout a breakup with her project Another November, and the global exposure she received after it was published on LensCulture.

  • Kerry Mansfield
    San Francisco, CA

    Two-time LensCulture Finalist Kerry Mansfield talks about her amazing experience of fighting breast cancer as well as the origins of her latest series, Expired. Kerry's photographs are as powerful & inspiring as her story.

  • Alain Laboile
    Bordeaux, France

    French photographer Alain Laboile is a self-taught master of intimate photography, focusing on his own family. He photographs the freedoms of childhood among six siblings 'at the edge of the world' in rural France.

see more success stories

  • Tina Schula
    United States
  • Tsutomu Yamagata
    Japan
  • Maroesjka Lavigne
    Belgium
  • Dayna Bartoli
    Norway
  • Richard Tuschman
    United States
  • Carlotta Cardana
    United Kingdom
  • Michael Marten
    United Kingdom
  • Yijun Liao
    United States
  • Jessica Hines
    United States
  • Anne Berry
    United States
  • Candace Gaudiani
    United States
  • Daniele Pintore
    United Kingdom
  • Fabrice Fouillet
    France
  • Ellie Davies
    United Kingdom
  • Claire Felicie
    Netherlands
  • Kerry Mansfield
    United States
  • Andrejs Strokins
    Latvia
  • Acacia Johnson
    United States
  • Nina Roeder
    Germany
  • Hebe Robinson
    Norway
  • Douglas Ljungkvist
    United States
  • Michelle Sank
    United Kingdom
  • Andrea Stone
    United States
  • Tara Bogart
    United States
  • Louisa Marie Summer
    United States

Exhibition space generously provided <br>by Candlestar during PhotoLondon.
www.photolondon.org

Exhibition Prints generously provided<br> by Genesis Imaging.
www.genesisimaging.co.uk

Printing of Exposure Award 2014 Annual generously provided by Edition One Books.
www.editiononebooks.com