We want to discover the most interesting photographers on the planet. LensCulture Exposure Awards 2015 aim to discover and showcase the world's best contemporary photographers — including all genres of photography, and from diverse cultures on every continent. In our 7th year for this competition, our focus continues to be on helping photographers of all levels to gain global recognition and move forward in their careers. Our international jury will select six top winners as well as 25 finalists. These are our largest and most prestigious awards of the year and YOU are invited to submit your best photographs to gain worldwide exposure.
Winners will be announced in early February 2016.
If you already started a submission, click here to finish it now »
Exposure Awards 2015 International Jury
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Denise Wolffmore about DeniseDenise Wolff is a senior editor at Aperture, specializing in photography books. Prior to Aperture, she was the commissioning editor for photography at Phaidon Press in London. Some recent books she has commissioned include, The Open Road: Photography and the American Road Trip; The Photographer’s Playbook: 307 Assignments and Ideas; the Photography Workshop Series books; and This Equals That, a children’s book by Jason Fulford and Tamara Shopsin.
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Roger Toothmore about RogerRoger Tooth trained as a newspaper photographer on the Hackney Gazette in East London, worked as a staff photographer for IPC magazines, and freelanced for the Guardian newspaper, other papers and magazines in the 70s and 80s. In 1988, he joined the Guardian as Assistant Picture Editor, advanced to Deputy Picture Editor, and helped launch the Guardian Unlimited website. In early 2001, he became Head of Photography at the Guardian, the Observer and theguardian.com. In 2009 he was awarded the Fenton Medal by the Royal Photographic Society for his outstanding contribution to the field.
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Chris Littlewoodmore about ChrisChris Littlewood is the Photography Director at Flowers Gallery, and works as a curator and writer based in London. Flowers Gallery's photography program is most recognized for its engagement with important socio-cultural and environmental themes.
Through a dedicated photography space established by Chris in 2008, he has extended the program to include exhibitions by invited artists and curators across a range of photographic practices.
Chris is a contributing writer for Hotshoe Magazine and 1000 Words magazine, he has lectured / tutored at UK and international universities and institutions including University of the Arts London, Architectural Association, Fotografiska Museum Stockholm, National Museum Cardiff and Unseen photo fair Amsterdam.
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David Chickeymore about DavidDavid Chickey is the publisher of Radius Books, where he serves as the acquisitions editor and designer of all projects. His work has received national recognition, including multiple awards from the AIGA (50 books/ 50 covers competition), the American Association of Museums Publishing competition, and the Publishers Association of the West. His books have also been selected by The New Yorker, TIME, and PDN Photo Annual as best of the year, for “Most Outstanding Design” and “Best Photobook” from Independent Publisher, and received an Infinity award for “Best Photographic Book of the Year.”
Chickey is also owner of Skolkin+Chickey, a graphic design firm that provides a full range of design services to artists, museums, and publishers. Clients have included Aperture, Abrams, Harvard University, Magnum Photography, The Lannan Foundation, The Peabody Museum, Steidl, David Zwirner, University of Texas Press and University of California Press, among others.
He is a graduate of Sussex University, England, and UNC, Chapel Hill, where he was a Morehead Scholar.
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Christopher Rauschenbergmore about ChristopherChristopher Rauschenberg is co-curator and board chairman of Blue Sky Gallery in Portland, Oregon. Blue Sky was established in 1975 by Mr. Rauschenberg and 4 other photographers. Since then, Mr. Rauschenberg has co-curated 799 solo exhibitions by 679 different artists. Mr. Rauschenberg has been a photographer since 1973 and has had 113 solo shows of his own work in eight countries.
Blue Sky Gallery is a non-profit artists' space which produces 25 solo exhibitions per year as well as an occasional group show every couple of years. It produces an annual yearbook that features 6 images from each show. The Gallery's focus and passion is on promoting emerging artists. Since 2004, the gallery has included solo shows by 98 photographers from FotoFest, plus 56 more from Photolucida, Arles, Rhubarb Rhubarb, Bratislava, Brasilia, Santa Fe, Mannheim, Montreal, Photo Alliance and Photo Nola. Blue Sky has done solo shows by artists from 42 countries.
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Cristina de Middelmore about CristinaCristina de Middel is a photographer whose work investigates photography’s ambiguous relationship to truth. Blending documentary and conceptual photographic practices, she plays with reconstructions and archetypes that blur the border between reality and fiction. After a successful career as a photojournalist, de Middel stepped outside of the photojournalistic gaze.
She then produced the critically acclaimed series The Afronauts in 2012, which explored the history of a failed space program in Zambia in the 1960s through staged reenactments of obscure narratives. De Middel continuously produces new bodies of work, including the latest series and book titled, This is what hatred did.
De Middel’s work shows that fiction can serve as the subject of photography just as well as facts can, highlighting that our expectation that photography must always make reference to reality is flawed.
Cristina De Middel has exhibited extensively internationally and has received numerous awards and nominations, including PhotoFolio Arles 2012, the Deutsche Börse Prize, POPCAP’ 13, and the Infinity Award from the International Center of Photography in New York. Cristina de Middel lives and works in Mexico.
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Marion Hislenmore about MarionMarion Hislen is curator and director of the Circulation(s) Festival, the largest annual Parisian photography event for young photographers. Now in its 6th year, the festival takes place at the newly renovated CentQuatre (104) center for the arts in Paris.
Marion is also the founder and president of the non-profit organization Fetart. Fetart organizes the Circulation(s) Festival, which is dedicated to promotingemerging photographers by giving them early opportunities to exhibit their work to a large public audience.
Previously, Marion was Director of Photos and Books at the retail giant Fnac within the department of Cultural Action, where she managed Photo Galleries Fnac — 20 spaces of exhibition throughout France.
She has curated numerous other exhibitions, as well, such as “Paris-Beijing,”the first retrospective in France of Chinese contemporary art at the Espace Pierre Cardin, Paris.
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Jim Caspermore about JimJim Casper is the editor-in-chief and publisher 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. He serves on the board of directors at SPE, the Society for Photographic Education, the world’s largest association of photography educators.
Open to All Types of Photography
Here are just a few of last year’s winners, finalists & top-rated. See Exposure Awards 2014 Winners & Finalists »
Finalist, Visual Storytelling Awards 2014
Career Launching Awards
| — JURY SELECTED — | LENSCULTURE | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 winners | 25 finalists | Editors' Picks | ||
| $15,000 in Cash Awards | ||||
| Photo London Exhibition | ||||
| International Festival Projections | ||||
| Exposure Awards 2015 Printed Annual | ||||
| Featured Article on LensCulture.com | ||||
| Live, Online Review with Expert | ||||
| International Press Exposure | ||||
| Visibility with LensCulture Insiders | ||||
| Immediate Exposure in Competition Gallery | ||||
| Invitation-only LensCulture Portfolio Account | ||||
*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. Also, the highest-rated entries will gain visibility with LensCulture Insiders and receive an invitation-only LensCulture Portfolio account, which serve as a great platform to reach our huge global audience.
learn more about the awards:
Cash Awards
Series Award:
1st Place $5000
2nd Place: $3000
3rd Place: $1500
Single Image Award:
1st Place $3000
2nd Place: $1500
3rd Place: $1000
Exhibition at Photo London
All winners & finalists work will be exhibited at Photo London 2016 — a major international photography event for collectors and the general public that will take place at Somerset House, in London, from May 19-22, 2016. This is world-class exposure at its best!
Right: The LensCulture Exposure Awards Exhibition during PhotoLondon in May 2015.
Projections at International
Photo Festivals
Work from the winners will be screened at photo festivals and events worldwide throughout the year. We are actively partnering with international photo festivals to showcase our competitions' winners & finalists. Our growing list of festivals includes: FORMAT International Photography Festival, Bangkok Photo Festival, Copenhagen Photo Festival, Belfast Photo Festival, Athens Photo Festival, Circulation(s) Photo Festival, Tokyo International Photography Festival, Voies Off Arles, Photolux Festival in Italy — with many more to come!
Visibility with
LensCulture Insiders
Work from hundreds of the other top-rated photographers from this competition will be shared with LensCulture Insiders, our network of influential names in the photography industry. We have significantly expanded our Insiders network to over 500 photo editors, curators, gallerists, and publishers. We believe this kind of exposure is critical for both emerging and established photographers to gain valuable jobs, opportunities, and global exposure in print and online media.
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
LensCulture Exposure Awards 2015 Printed Annual
A museum-quality competition catalog featuring the winning photographers' work will be distributed to hundreds of LensCulture Insiders and industry representatives including influential editors, curators, festival directors, publishers, gallery directors and more. The Insiders will have the opportunity to see the award-winning photographs in a beautiful printed form.
Cover photo: © Ioana Cîrlig, Inside spread: © François Van Bastelaer
Immediate Exposure on LensCulture & Social Media
Just by entering, your work will be reviewed by our editors for immediate exposure in our Competition Gallery and across all our online channels. While our editors review all entries on a daily basis, they can only share a limited number of them as featured entries. On average, our featured entries receive a total of 4 to 6 million views on Facebook, bringing those selected entries a massive boost of visibility to their work.
Live, Online Review Session With Photo Industry Experts
All Winners and Finalists will have the opportunity to participate in a live, online review of their work with photo industry experts using our new, online learning platform — LensCulture Sessions. Get valuable feedback and expert advice and connect with other winning photographers from around the world.
Photo © Marja Pirila
Massive Online Promotion
Work from the top winners and finalists will be shared across our huge, global audience including our web site, mailing list, mobile platforms, and multiple social media channels. We have found this to be a very effective strategy for getting photographers the exposure that leads to career-boosting opportunities — see our Success Stories.
Promotions include a Feature article on LensCulture, Facebook, & Flipboard.Photo © Laura Hospes
INTERNATIONAL PRESS EXPOSURE
Each year the Exposure Awards receive extensive press coverage from around the world. Winners, finalists and entrants have been featured in major publications including the BBC, Huffington Post, Spiegel Online, the UK Telegraph, and many other national and international media outlets. This kind of press exposure can lead to viral, global recognition and appreciation of your work!
Ongoing Exposure with a LensCulture Portfolio Account
All Winners, Finalists (plus 150 top-rated photographers) will gain access to a free, invitation-only portfolio account on LensCulture! This is an invaluable platform to showcase your work to our 1.5 million global audience as well as to our network of LensCulture Insiders. LensCulture’s editors will also be able to discover your latest work and potentially feature it in articles, Editors’ Picks and social media.
Free Submission Review with Every Series Entry!
Enter a series in LensCulture Exposure Awards 2015 and get a free submission review! We believe that every photographer who enters deserves thoughtful feedback on their work. That's why we've recruited over a dozen top photo editors, portfolio reviewers, curators, and other industry professionals to give you constructive feedback on your photography plus recommendations for improving your practice.
This new offering has become one of the most meaningful services at LensCulture. We are delighted with the continued feedback from photographers:
“I really have to say thank you (BIG TIME!) to the LensCulture team: first of all, for the submission review I received after the LensCulture Award—it really helped me to re-edit the 8 pictures for the World Press Photo Award submission, where I then won 2nd prize! Second, for the publication of this story on the front page of LensCulture. Your article went online just a few days before the judging process, so it's very well possible that that was also helpful for convincing the jury. Keep up the great work at LensCulture, you do an amazing job for photographers and the photography world!”
“LensCulture is a wonderful platform for photographers and getting the review of my submission was worth the price of entry in itself!”
“What a wonderful service. I would like to thank the reviewer for his/her insightful and thoughtful review. Although I feel strongly about this project, as many of us do at one time or another, I was also feeling discouraged about it. The reviewer's thoughtful words have inspired me to continue. Thank you so much.”
“This is the most thoughtful and useful feedback I have received on the series so far. It's short, but to the point. A great example of "less is more." It gives me clear direction on how to think where I want to lead the project to, guidelines to edit and display, and inspirational suggestions. Again, thank you so much. Worth every dollar and second invested in submitting for the competition. I really appreciate it. I look forward to more interaction like this.”
“The depth of the information was amazing, and has given me a clearer direction to continue with my project. I have never received such concise feedback before on a submission. The reviewer suggested names of artists that have similar styles, and subjects for me to study, and names of books to read. I am inspired to go deeper with my subject and look at my approach in a different way. I am so thankful for this information and think this is a brilliant and unique offering from LensCulture. Thank you so much for my new found inspiration!”
“WOW!!! Your feedback and guidance are extremely helpful and I truly appreciate the time you took out of your day to examine my work, write down your thoughts and provide such critical feedback. For me, your personal review was the most valuable part of entering the competition; more than any monetary prize. I cannot thank you enough.”
“I just wanted to send a huge thank you to the reviewer who took the time to look over my submission. THANK YOU! The review was not only kind, thorough, and encouraging, but really confirmed some perspectives and possibilities that I had already been considering.”
“That was so incredibly helpful and insightful. I couldn't be more thankful for the thoughtful advice and really appreciate the time that was taken to review my work. It literally just fueled my fire to keep shooting the series. A HUGE THANK YOU!!”
“Many thanks for the thorough and well-informed review. The personal focus and advice surpassed all my expectations with this process. The links to other competitions, photographers of interest, books and future reviews have been extremely helpful, and again - I was impressed with the level of input, and the objective consideration of future opportunities.”
“I really appreciate the review - it was much more in-depth than I expected. I am particularly grateful for the links you provided. I will work on my series more according to your guidelines. Thank you once again”
“Thank you SO much to the reviewer … I really appreciate the time and attention to detail that you obviously took when reviewing my images! The comments about technical execution on specific images was very helpful, and the suggestions for improvement taken very much to heart.”
“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. I have reworked my series and will continue reworking them over a few months.”
“I was greatly encouraged by this review and it pushed me to keep going with this series. My work might not always be a big success, but it's a bit like sports — I should keep training my "creative muscle."”
“Thank you very much for taking the time to review my work and provide such excellent insight and information to help me further it from here.”
“Many thanks for your thoughtful and informative review with excellent suggestions and references. You have a keen eye.”
“I just would like to thank you for the wonderful review and all the interesting suggestions you gave me to inspire my work. I strongly think these type of reviews, even if they need to be brief and concise, can effectively help and encourage especially a not-too-confident photographer to keep on working and improving. To me this review meant a big 'DO NOT GIVE UP AND WORK' and I believe that's very valuable!”
“I'm really pleased with my review; it brought to my attention details I hadn't noticed about my work, and it was really constructive. I also liked how I was recommended a couple of books to read which makes the review even more constructive. Also the reviewer's attitude is really nice, it made me feel really good about the review and my work.”
“Thank you very much for the Review and your very kind and motivating words.”
“Everything has been really helpful: your positive comments, your advice, the part that you think needs an improvement,… and all the additional recommendations, that I’ll take into consideration.”
“Thank you very much for your lovely and constructive review!! I could tell that the person who reviewed my submission really took the time to look at my work before giving his opinion. It wasn't some pre-written review that could fit for any project which would have been really disappointing... I really appreciate it. Plus, a big thanks for the artists suggestions at the end. I will have a look at their work with pleasure!”
“Just writing to say thanks very much for the portfolio review, it's really encouraging.”
“I am a self-taught photographer and over the last decade of making pictures this is truly the most helpful feedback and direction for my photography I have ever received. Most helpful of all were the suggestions for further study/research which have already sent me off in new directions (3d mapping software) that I might not have come across if the review hadn't turned me on to it.”
“I was so pleased that the review of my submission was thoughtful and personalized. Thanks so much for the time you took with the review. I appreciated the suggestions.”
“Thank you very much for my submission review. I found it to be very interesting and helpful. I will most definitely take it into account in progressing the project and in future submissions.”
Finalist, Visual Storytelling Awards 2014
Broadcast Your Work
Our Most Talked About Awards
The Exposure Awards is our largest annual competition, attracting impressive press coverage, industry attention and the support of photography-lovers around the world. We welcome submissions by photographers from every culture in the world, as we hope to discover and share this year’s very best. Don’t miss this opportunity to be recognized as one of the top photographers working today.
To truly capture 2015’s best photography, there are no limitations on age, level, genre, or location. For further information, please see our FAQ.
Winners will be announced in early February 2016.
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Career Changing Exposure
We believe that competitions are one of the best ways to gain valuable international exposure and to move forward professionally and creatively. Hear how the lives of these photographers were impacted by winning a LensCulture competition.
Originally a painter and printmaker, Richard Tuschman combines his passions in realizing these perfectly constructed dioramas, inspired by the work of Edward Hopper. Hear more about the work and the career-changing impact the Exposure Awards had on his career.
Kurt Simonson spent over 10 years working on his "Northwoods Journals," a photographic journey into his ancestral narrative. Learn more about this magical series and also how Kurt was able to share his story with the world.
4 1/2 years ago, Raina Stinson decided to follow her dream and become a photographer. At the top of her to-do list was to be recognized by LensCulture. Today, her work has been shown all over the globe—come hear how it all happened so fast.
Success Stories
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Pete MullerKenya
Pete MullerA Tale of Two Wolves: Men, Masculinity and ViolenceFinalist,
Visual Storytelling Awards 2014Since winning the LensCulture award last year, a number of positive things have occurred: A 1st Prize at the World Press Photo Awards, a feature in Smithsonian Magazine (due January 2016), contributing the photographs to a 30 page story in National Geographic Magazine, a physical exhibition at Photoville in Brooklyn and a projection at the Visa Pour L'image festival in Perpignan, France! Finally, in September, I'll spend several weeks following a scientific expedition in Kenya for National Geographic Magazine. It's been an intense year and I'm incredibly grateful for the recognition.
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Ioana CirligRomania
Ioana CirligPost-Industrial RomaniaSeries Winner,
Exposure Awards 2014Being one of the winners and getting published on LensCulture was great because it offered my work immense visibility, more than I've ever had. The award gave me a lot of confidence and motivation. It's the first international award I received and it is great to know that my pictures can be presented alongside amazing, diverse work from photographers I admire.
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Birgit PüveEstonia
Birgit PüveA Tale of the LakeFinalist,
Exposure Awards 2014During the very same evening that the results were announced, I received many e-mails and a feature request from Verve Photo, The New Breed of Documentary Photographers. Another one of my series has gained a lot of attention since then and I am being contacted by photo editors of online and paper magazines. Fotografia Magazine and OSTSEE Magazine have published the project—and more to come. I am really happy and thankful to LensCulture that my work is seen on such a great platform with wide audience. Many exciting things are happening!
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Marja PirilaFinland
Marja PirilaInterior/Exterior: Camera Obscura DreamsFinalist,
Exposure Awards 2014There were many websites that contacted me after seeing my images on LensCulture — from CNN to ABC News and Hyper Allergic. There were also many magazines from all over, including National Geographic, who reached out to create online galleries featuring my work. All thanks to you!
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Candace GaudianiUnited States
Candace GaudianiForty Eight States IIFinalist,
LensCulture Exposure Awards 2012Being named a finalist in the LensCulture Exposure Awards for the project "Between Destinations" made a huge difference in helping my exhibitions and publications come into fruition. In short, it was a “stamp of recognition” for my work. Thank you, LensCulture! The support keeps me inspired!
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Carlotta CardanaUnited Kingdom
Carlotta CardanaMod CouplesFinalist,
LensCulture Exposure Awards 2013A popular monthly magazine really liked my project about Native American pride in LensCulture, and they have decided to commission me to go back and shoot more. So exciting, I still can't believe it! ALSO I have seven images from the Mod Couples series in The Eyes Collection #1 exhibition (thanks to LensCulture, obviously!).
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Claire FelicieNetherlands
Claire FelicieHere are the Young MenFinalist,
LensCulture Exposure Awards 2011Winning a LensCulture award did a LOT for my career. When LensCulture published my whole series, requests for publishing came in from all over the world. Among them were the Daily Mail and the Huffington Post. I found that LensCulture is highly respected and to be published and featured there opens doors with galleries and museum curators. So, for me it is very important that my work is to be seen on such a platform with such a wide audience.
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Bela DokaHungary
Bela DokaFan Club PutinFinalist,
LensCulture Exposure Awards 2014Thanks my exposure on LensCulture, my series "FC Putin" got a 2nd life. Years after the series was first published, I saw a huge surge of renewed interest. Overnight, I was contacted by publications all around the world. Even now, I'm using the interest in the series to draw more attention to my latest work.
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Lydia GoldblattUnited Kingdom
Lydia GoldblattStill HereFinalist,
LensCulture Exposure Awards 2014Showing at Photo London has been amazing...it's such a privilege and opportunity to show my work to both an international crowd and the London audience as well.
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Franky VerdicktBelgium
Franky VerdicktThe South Street VillageSeries Winner,
Exposure Awards 2014LensCulture is great — it's become a reference for photography and through its awards, you can make yourself shown to the world. If you want to get inspired or to see good work or just to know what's going on, LensCulture is a very good place to be.
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Adrien TacheFrance
Adrien TacheWest African Studio PhotographersFinalist,
Visual Storytelling Awards 2014Realizing that my work had been noticed among hundreds of professional, high-quality works surprised me a lot—but it was such a good reward after all those hours I spent on the project. The award has helped me a lot in terms of visibility! Just after the official announcement, my work was featured in Il Post (Italy), Hyperallergic (US), La Reppubblica (IT). I was also interviewed by Mull It Over? (UK). Since then, it has been shown at festivals in Georgia, Slovenia and France! So a lot of good news, and it started with LensCulture—thanks a lot!
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Heidi WoodmanUnited Kingdom
Heidi WoodmanGold FeverFinalist,
Visual Storytelling Awards 2014A lot has happened since the announcement! First, I was selected for the Photobook 2014 exhibition, and shown in a group show in Hudson, New York at the Davis Orton Gallery, as well as at the Griffin Museum of Photography, where the book "Gold Fever" is on show. One of my images was also selected for Photofusion Salon/14, and shown at the Photofusion Gallery in Brixton, London. I've been published on Andrew Sullivan's The Dish, had an interview on foto39 and noticed hundreds of blogs/reblogs about the work on Tumbler. As a result of this exposure, I saw huge increase of traffic to my site, and I have almost sold out of my first run of books.
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Laura HospesThe Netherlands
Laura HospesUCP-UMCGGrant Winner,
Emerging Talent Awards 2015It started with an e-mail from the Daily Mail, after they had seen the article on LensCulture and Spiegel.
They asked a couple of questions and put it on their website. After that, a bomb exploded in my mailbox.
I got interviewed by The HuffingtonPost, Redbook, Feature Shoot, Refinery29, WunderWeib and many more. Then, I found myself on the frontpage of Yahoo, Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire, Empowering Woman and so many more…This media attention resulted in the sharing of my story world-wide as well as selling many prints and books. I’ve even been offered an opportunity to exhibit in New York City! -
Candace KarchUnited States
Candace KarchMs. Ulmer: 90 Years an Artist3rd Place Series Winner,
Portrait Awards 2015I have been working on the pages of this book for a long time and FINALLY with this win I am getting the attention I need to move forward—and it is keeping me motivated!! After the winners were announced, Feature Shoot Magazine interviewed me for their blog and The Guardian also contacted me to feature my website and the "Ms. Ulmer" series in an online gallery. My hope is to find a publisher and get this book in print by the end of the year! And as an extra bonus, I will have Ms. Ulmer at the book signing.
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Michal SolarskiUnited Kingdom
Michal SolarskiCut it ShortWinner,
Visual Storytelling 2014Winning was by far the biggest highlight of 2014...it gave Tomasz and me some really huge exposure. After the results were announced, we were contacted by various publications both in print and online. The traffic on our LensCulture profiles as well as to my personal website increased immensely. We were approached and interviewed by the biggest Polish daily newspaper. We made contacts with photographers, curators and galleries worldwide and received positive feedback from various individuals, which gives us even more enthusiasm to keep it going.
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Tony CorocherItaly
Tony CorocherBeauty in HellFinalist,
Portrait Awards 2014The award has given me incredible exposure, not only in my country, but internationally. LensCulture was one of the first and main awards that "Beauty In Hell" received, and it definitely helped to give credit to the project and to my work in general. Thanks to your exposure, I was invited to quite a few solo and group exhibitions in different countries and it helped increase the value of my prints and photobooks. Also I've been contacted by the Wall Street Journal who asked to do an article about "Beauty In Hell," and publish all 20 photos.
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Debi CornwallUnited States
Debi CornwallGitmo at Home, Gitmo at PlayFinalist,
Visual Storytelling Awards 2014Many thanks to everyone at LensCulture for recognizing my work and offering me your platform for wider exposure! As you can see, it has helped to catapult my work before a worldwide audience, including showing at the 2015 Belfast Photo Festival opening June 6, being shortlisted for the Festival Images Vevey Photography Award and the 2015 Athens Photo Festival, and showing my first solo exhibition, opening at Fovea Exhibitions in Beacon, NY on June 13.
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Phillip EnglehornHong Kong
Phillip EnglehornQingdao Beach2nd Place Series Winner,
LensCulture Portrait Awards 2015In just three weeks since the announcement, Photo District News (PDN) picked up my swimmer series for online usage. S Moda Magazine, a suppplement to El País journal in Spain, asked me for some images too. I used my 2nd place win for a general promotion email to all my clients and magazine contacts, which led to a job with Afar Magazine!
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Ulrik TofteDenmark
Ulrik TofteThe Key Is Not To Blink3rd Prize in the 2014 LensCulture Portrait AwardsSince I won, it gave me the courage to pursue a more personal type of work and I entered my project "The Key Is Not To Blink" ...with a lot of success. This includes the People's Choice awards, 3rd place, Portraiture – Culture Px3, 2nd gold, Prix de la Photographie Paris 2014, and my first solo exhibition this year in Denmark at the Artcenter Silkeborg. Plus, my images will be projected during Ballarat International Foto Biennale in August 2015.
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Andreas OlesenDenmark
Andreas OlesenEstateWinner,
Emerging Talent 2014Being chosen resulted in an immediate, huge jump in the amount of attention my work receives. I was photographing on a small island north of Sardinia when I got the news, and by the time I got back to my computer, my inbox was flooded with mails from well wishers and print purchase inquiries. Within a few weeks, I had gotten several interview requests, a publishing request and hefty jump in traffic (double, in fact) on my website.
Now, I am organizing an exhibition of the work in California and I think that winning the award definitely helped me secure this show.
www.photolondon.org
www.genesisimaging.co.uk
www.editiononebooks.com