MAGNUM PHOTOGRAPHY
AWARDS 2017

Call for Entries

© Jonas Bendiksen / Magnum Photos
EXHIBITION IN LONDON | FREE SUBMISSION REVIEW | MAGNUM WORKSHOPS | INTERNATIONAL PRESS EXPOSURE

Magnum Photos Wants to See Your Work!

LensCulture and legendary photography agency Magnum Photos are seeking the best in global contemporary photography for the second annual Magnum Photography Awards.

Photographers working at all levels are eligible to participate—professionals, emerging talents, students and passionate amateurs. Likewise, photographers of all ages and all cultures are encouraged to take part in this worldwide celebration of talented image-makers.

Our distinguished international jury will select 12 Winners, 8 Jurors’ Picks and 20 Finalists. Awards will be given in six categories: Documentary, Street, Portrait, Fine Art, Photojournalism and Open.

Magnum and LensCulture have worked hard to make this year’s edition an unparalleled opportunity for exposure and recognition. Our official media partner BBC Culture will be sharing top submissions throughout the competition to their global audience of 3.5 million and then will publish a series of features on selected winners. In addition, all the Winners, Finalists and Jurors' Picks will be digitally exhibited at the Photographers’ Gallery in London.

The winning photographers will also receive exclusive access to Magnum photographers’ workshops around the world and have their work shown to industry insiders online and at festivals all over the globe. These Awards aim to offer an unprecedented level of international exposure from two of the largest organizations in the photographic community. So, don’t delay, enter now!

LensCulture and legendary photography agency Magnum Photos are seeking the best in global contemporary photography for the second annual Magnum Photography Awards. Photographers working at all levels, of all ages and all cultures are encouraged to take part in this worldwide celebration of talented image-makers!

During the competition, our official media partner BBC Culture will be sharing top submissions with their global audience of 3.5 million. All the Winners, Finalists and Jurors’ Picks will be digitally exhibited at the Photographers’ Gallery in London.

These Awards aim to offer an unprecedented level of international exposure from two of the largest organizations in the photographic community. So, don’t delay, enter now!

Open to all levels in these categories:
Documentary | Portrait | Street | Fine Art | Photojournalism | Open
Closed for new entries.

2017 Marks the Beginning of a New Journey. Join Us!

Since 1947, Magnum has served as an important collective of the visionary photographers who captured (and continue to capture) world-famous, iconic images that define and shape our rapidly changing lives. It is often said that if you picture an iconic image, but can’t think who took it or where it can be found, it probably came from Magnum.

Magnum Photos represents some of the world’s most renowned photographers, maintaining its founding ideals and idiosyncratic mix of journalists, artists and storytellers. The agency is strictly self-selecting, and membership is considered the finest accolade of a photographer’s career.

Both Magnum Photos and LensCulture are committed to developing visual talent. With this partnership, Magnum will continue to expand on its education initiatives, including a recently launched online Education hub and video learning initiatives launching later this year.

Together, the two organizations will continue their mission of helping photographers move forward in their careers, both creatively and professionally.

2017 Marks the Beginning of a New Journey. Join Us!

Since 1947, Magnum has served as an important collective of the visionary photographers who captured the world-famous, iconic images that define and shape our rapidly changing lives. Today, Magnum continues to represent some of the world’s most renowned image-makers.

Both Magnum Photos and LensCulture are committed to developing visual talent. With this partnership, Magnum will continue to expand on its education initiatives, including a recently launched online Education hub and video learning initiatives launching later this year.

Together, the two organizations will continue their mission of helping photographers move forward in their careers, both creatively and professionally.

Magnum Photography Awards 2017 Jury

Alec Soth
Magnum Photographer
Magnum Photos
Saint Paul, MN, USA
alecsoth.com
more about Alec

Alec Soth’s work is rooted in the distinctly American tradition of “on-the-road photography” developed by Walker Evans, Robert Frank and Stephen Shore. From Huckleberry Finn to Easy Rider there seems to be a uniquely American desire to travel and chronicle the adventures that consequently ensue. Soth has received fellowships from the McKnight, Bush, and Jerome Foundations and was the recipient of the 2003 Santa Fe Prize for Photography. His photographs are represented in major public and private collections, including the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, and the Walker Art Center. His work has been featured in numerous solo and group exhibitions, including the 2004 Whitney Biennial and a career survey at the Jeu de Paume in 2008.

Lesley Martin
Creative Director
Aperture Foundation
New York, NY, USA
aperture.org
more about Lesley

Lesley A. Martin is creative director at the Aperture Foundation and publisher of The PhotoBook Review. She has edited numerous photobooks, including Takashi Homma’s Tokyo (2008), Rinko Kawauchi’s Illuminance (2011), LaToya Ruby Frazier’s The Notion of Family (2013), and recent books by Richard Misrach and Gregory Crewdson. In addition to her work on The Chinese Photobook, she was a contributing editor to Japanese Photobooks of the 1960s and ’70s and The Latin American Photobook; in 2012, she cofounded the Paris Photo–Aperture Foundation PhotoBook Awards.

She has curated exhibitions that have traveled both nationally and internationally, including The Ubiquitous Image (2008); Aperture Remix (2012), a commission-based exhibition celebrating Aperture’s sixtieth anniversary; and Muse: Mickalene Thomas Photographs (2016). Her writing on photography has been published in Aperture, FOAM, Ojo de Pez, and Lay Flat among other publications. She currently teaches a graduate course on the photobook at the Yale University School of Art. Martin lives and works in New York City.

Susan Meiselas
Magnum Photographer
Magnum Photos
New York, NY, USA
www.susanmeiselas.com
more about Susan

Susan Meiselas was born in Baltimore, Maryland in 1948. She received her BA from Sarah Lawrence College and her MA in visual education from Harvard University.

Meiselas joined Magnum Photos in 1976 and has worked as a freelance photographer since. She is best known for her coverage of the insurrection in Nicaragua and her documentation of human rights issues in Latin America. Meiselas has had one-woman exhibitions in Paris, Madrid, Amsterdam, London, Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York, and her work is included in collections around the world. She has received the Robert Capa Gold Medal for her work in Nicaragua (1979); the Leica Award for Excellence (1982); the Engelhard Award from the Institute of Contemporary Art (1985); the Hasselblad Foundation Photography prize (1994); the Cornell Capa Infinity Award (2005) and most recently was awarded the Harvard Arts Medal (2011). In 1992, she was named a MacArthur Fellow.

Sarah Leen
Director of Photography
National Geographic Magazine and Partners
Washington D.C., USA
www.nationalgeographic.com
more about Sarah

Sarah Leen is the Director of Photography for the National Geographic Magazine and Partners. For nearly 20 years she worked as a freelance photographer for National Geographic until she joined the staff as a senior photo editor in 2004. Leen supervises all visual content creation and photography staff for the magazine as well as NG Traveler, the natgeo.com website and the @natgeo photography social media sites.

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 1988. She published 16 stories and had five covers in National Geographic as a photographer. In 2010, Leen curated the National Geographic’s exhibit Water is Life at the Annenberg Space for Photography in Los Angeles and in 2013 curated The Power of Photography: National Geographic 125 Years at the Annenberg Space.

Leen has won numerous awards for her photography in both the Pictures of the Year (POYi) and the World Press Photo competitions. In 2007 and 2008 she won first place Magazine Picture Editing Portfolio from POYi and second place in 2011. Her team of photo editors has twice won the Angus McDougall Overall Excellence in Editing Award from POYi.

Azu Nwagbogu
Founder and Director
LagosPhoto Festival and the African Artists’ Foundation (AAF)
Lagos, Nigeria
www.lagosphotofestival.com
more about Azu

Azu Nwagbogu is the founder and director of the African Artists’ Foundation, a non-profit organization established in 2007 and based in Lagos, Nigeria that is dedicated to the promotion and development of contemporary African arts and artists. Nwagbogu also founded the National Art Competition in 2008, an annual arts competition in Nigeria; the Lagos Photo Festival, an annual international photography festival; and Art Base Africa, a new virtual space to discover and learn about contemporary African Art and diaspora. He owns a diverse collection of modern contemporary art and has curated private collections in Africa for the past 20 years.

He was a juror for the Dutch Doc and the POPCAP Photography Awards, World Press Photo, Prisma Photography Award (2015) and Greenpeace Photo Award (2016). He was nominated as curator for the Prix Découverte Rencontres d’Arles (2014) as well as Photoquai (2015) and Photolux Festival (2015). He curated “Dey Your Lane! Lagos Variations” for the Bozar Museum in Brussels and “Tear My Bra” for Les Rencontres d’Arles 2016. Azu Nwagbogu lives and works in Lagos.

David Hurn
Magnum Photographer
Magnum Photos
Tintern, UK
more about David

Born in the UK but of Welsh descent, David Hurn is a self-taught photographer who began his career in 1955 as an assistant at the Reflex Agency. Whilst a freelance photographer, he gained his early reputation with his reportage of the 1956 Hungarian revolution.

Hurn eventually turned away from coverage of current affairs, preferring to take a more personal approach to photography. He became an associate member of Magnum in 1965 and a full member in 1967. In 1973, he set up the highly respected School of Documentary Photography in Newport, Wales. He resigned in 1989. He has since been in constant demand to lecture and conduct workshops around the world. In 1997 he collaborated on a very successful textbook with Professor Bill Jay, On Being a Photographer—since then the book has never been out of print.

David Hurn has a longstanding international reputation as one of Britain’s most influential reportage photographers. His prints are acquired by many leading collectors and museums. He continues to live in, and work from, his home in Tintern, Wales.

Yumi Goto
Independent Curator
Tokyo, Japan
more about Yumi

Yumi Goto is an independent photography curator, editor, researcher, consultant, educator and publisher who focuses on the development of cultural exchanges that transcend borders.

She collaborates with local and international artists who live and work in areas affected by conflict, natural disasters, current social problems, human rights abuses and women’s issues. She often works with human rights advocates, international and local NGOs, and humanitarian organizations as well as being involved as a nominator and juror for international photographic organizations, festivals and events.

She is now based in Tokyo and is also a co-founder and curator for the Reminders Photography Stronghold, which is a curated membership gallery space in Tokyo enabling a wide range of photographic activities.

Jim Casper
Editor-in-Chief
LensCulture
Amsterdam,
The Netherlands
www.lensculture.com
more about Jim

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

“Surviving 70 years as an artistic co-operative is in itself an achievement, and in this period Magnum has accumulated an unrivaled photographic archive. A key objective of 2017 and of Magnum’s anniversary celebrations is to expand audiences and encourage mass participation in the agency’s work. Our collaborative Photography Award with LensCulture provides a perfect platform for us to see a diverse range of photography globally, and for the wider photography community to access us more easily.”

— Martin Parr, President of Magnum Photos

© Alex Majoli / Magnum Photos

Awards & Benefits

WinnersJurors’ PicksFinalistsEditors’ Picks**Every Entrant
Submission Review by Photo Industry Professionals**
LensCulture Portfolio Account**
Immediate Exposure in Magnum Competition Gallery
Featured Article on MagnumPhotos.com and LensCulture.com
Magnum & LensCulture Online Exhibition
Visibility with Industry Insiders and Magnum Photographers
Magnum Photography Awards Printed Annual
Free Magnum Square print
International Press Exposure
International Photo Festival Projections
Digital Exhibition in London
Opportunity to be featured on the BBC Culture website
Voucher to participate in a Magnum workshop
$27,000 in Cash Awards

*Editors’ Picks: During the competition, editors from Magnum, BBC Culture and LensCulture will curate entries for immediate exposure to their global audiences through the competition gallery and Facebook page.

**Submission Review and LensCulture Portfolio Account: Available for all Series entries and 5+ Single entries

Awards & Benefits

Cash & Recognition Awards

Series Awards:
$3,000 for each winning Series in the following categories:
Documentary, Portrait, Street, Photojournalism, Fine Art and Open
Single Image Awards:
$1,500 for each winning Single Image in the following categories:
Documentary, Portrait, Street, Photojournalism, Fine Art and Open
Jurors’ Picks:
Each Juror will personally select one photographer to be awarded this special distinction.

Digital Exhibition at the Photographers’ Gallery

A digital exhibition at the Photographers’ Gallery in London will be held for the winners. The Photographers' Gallery is the largest public gallery in London dedicated to photography. It was also the first independent gallery in Britain that was devoted entirely to the medium, meaning it has served as an essential cornerstone of the community for over 40 years. From the latest emerging talent, to historical archives and established artists, this is one of the premier places to discover great photography, in all its forms.


Angkor Photo Festival, Siem Reap, Cambodia

Art Photo Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain

Athens Photo Festival, Athens, Greece

Atlanta Celebrates Photography Festival, Atlanta, GA, United States

Backlight Photo Festival, Tampere, Finland

Balkan Photo Festival, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Bangkok Photo Festival, Bangkok, Thailand

Belfast Photo Festival, Belfast, Northern Ireland

BIP2016 – Biennial of the Possible, Liège, Belgium

BredaPhoto International Photo Festival, Breda, Netherlands

Brighton Photo Biennial, Brighton, United Kingdom

Brighton Photo Fringe, Brighton, United Kingdom

Circulation(s), Paris, France

Copenhagen Photo Festival, Copenhagen, Denmark

Cortona on the Move, Cortona, Italy

DarmStadt Days of Photography, Darmstadt, Germany

Delhi Photo Festival Portfolio Reviews, New Delhi, India

Encontros da Imagem Photography Festival, Braga, Portugal

Eyes On, Vienna, Austria

FestFoto, Porto Alegre, Brazil

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

Festival della Fotografia Etica, Lodi, Italy

Festival Internacional de Fotografia Tijuana, Tijuana, Mexico

Festival Internacional de Fotografia Valparaiso, Valparaiso, Chile

FOCUS Photography Festival, Mumbai, India

FORMAT, Derby, United Kingdom

FOTO SOLO, New York, NY, United States

FOTOFESTIWAL - International Festival of Photography, Lodz, Poland

FotoLeggendo, Rome, Italy

Fotopub Portfolio Review, Novo Mesto, Slovenia

GuatePhoto Festival, Guatemala City, Guatemala

Head On Photo Festival, Bondi Beach - Sydney, Australia

Indian Photo Fest, Madhapur, India

Kaunas Photo Festival, Kaunas, Lithuania

Krakow Photomonth Festival, Krakow, Poland

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

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

Miami Street Photography Festival, Miami FL, United States

Month of Photography Denver, Denver, CO, United States

Mostra São Paulo de Fotografia, São Paulo, Brazil

Mt. Rokko International Photo Festival, Kobe, Japan

Obscura Festival, Penang, Malaysia

OFF_festival Bratislava, Bratislava, Slovakia

Organ Vida - International Photography Festival, Zagreb, Croatia

Photo Romania Festival, Cluj-Napoca, Romania

Photolux Festival. International Biennial of Photography, Lucca, Italy

Photomed, Sanary-sur-mer, France

PHOTOMONTH East London, London, United Kingdom

PhotOn Festival, Valencia, Spain

PhotoVisa, Krasnodar, Russia

PondyPHOTO 2017, Pondicherry, India

Porto Photo Festival, Porto, Portugal

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

Tbilisi Photo Festival, Tbilisi, Georgia

Tokyo International Photography Festival, Tokyo, Japan

Valongo, Valongo, Santos, Brazil

Vienna PhotoBook Festival, Vienna, Austria

Exposure at Photo Festivals Worldwide

All selected work will be screened at photo festivals and events worldwide throughout the year. LensCulture and Magnum 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, Belfast Photo Festival, Athens Photo Festival, Photo Kathmandu, Circulation(s) Photo Festival, Tokyo International Photography Festival, Indian Photo Festival (Hyderabad), Tbilisi Photo Festival, Voies Off Arles — and many more!


Official Media Partnership with BBC Culture

We’ve partnered with BBC Culture to develop an exciting new exposure opportunity! During the course of the competition, editors from BBC Culture will select entries to be shared across their social media platforms. After the judging is complete, a selection of the winning photographers will have their work featured on BBC Culture, reaching a global audience of 3.5 million through one of the world's leading media outlets.

Dougie Wallace, Magnum Photography Awards
2016 Winner, featured on BBC Culture site

International Press Exposure

Each year, Magnum Photos and LensCulture receive extensive press coverage from around the world. Winners, finalists and entrants have been featured in major publications including the Guardian, Huffington Post, Spiegel Online, TIME Lightbox, The Telegraph, British Journal of Photography, and many other national and international media outlets.


Visibility with Industry Insiders

Work from hundreds of the top-rated photographers from this competition will be shared with LensCulture Insiders and Magnum photographers. LensCulture has significantly expanded its Insiders’ network to hundreds of 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


Magnum Photography Awards 2017
Printed Annual

A museum-quality printed annual featuring the winning photographers’ work will be produced by Magnum Photos and LensCulture. In addition, the book will be made available to LensCulture’s entire network of LensCulture Insiders and industry professionals, which includes influential editors, curators, festival directors, publishers, gallery directors and more.

Cover: © Jens Juul, Inside spread: © Sergey Ponomarev

Live Workshops with Magnum Photographers

The twelve Winners will have the opportunity to join Magnum photographers in workshops throughout the year, hosted in a variety of locations around the world. Past workshops have included gatherings in Bangkok with David Alan Harvey & Jacob Aue Sobol and a Magnum masterclass in Hong Kong. Upcoming workshops include the Magnum Caravan workshop in Rio de Janeiro with Cristina Garcia Rodero, Bieke Depoorter and Michael Christopher Brown. Note that online reviews will be available to photographers not able to travel to the physical meeting place. See more details in the FAQ.


Other Awards & Benefits Include:

An Online Exhibition Promoted to Audience of 2.5 Million

All selected work—including Winners, Finalists, Jurors’ Picks—will be featured in an online exhibition hosted by Magnum Photos and LensCulture. It will be accessible all over the world, meaning the work of every photographer can be browsed by millions of viewers long after the competition closes.

Immediate Exposure Of Your Work During The Competition

Just by entering, your work will be reviewed by editors from LensCulture, Magnum and BBC for immediate exposure in our Competition Gallery and across all our online channels, reaching a combined audience of over 10 million. Don’t wait until the deadline to enter! Note that while our team review entries on a daily basis, they can only share a limited number of featured entries.

A Free LensCulture Portfolio Account to Showcase Your Work

Get a FREE LensCulture Portfolio Account when you submit five+ images or a series to the Magnum Photography Awards! You’ll save money and countless hours updating your website with our professional presentation of your profile and work. Our new photo viewer offers a stunning, full-screen display of your photos plus support for an unlimited number of projects. Join the world’s largest community of contemporary photographers with a global audience of over 2.5 million.

Cash & Recognition Awards

Series Awards:

$3,000 for each winning Series in the following categories: Documentary, Portrait, Street, Photojournalism, Fine Art and Open

Single Image Awards:

$1,500 for each winning Single Image in the following categories: Documentary, Portrait, Street, Photojournalism, Fine Art and Open

Jurors’ Picks:

Each Juror will personally select one photographer to be awarded this special distinction.

More Awards

  • Festival Videos Screened by Magnum Photos
  • Official Media Partnership With BBC Culture
  • Visibility With Industry Insiders
  • Magnum Photography Awards 2017 Printed Annual
  • Live Workshops With Magnum Photographers
  • An Online Exhibition Promoted To Audience Of 2.5 Million
  • Immediate Exposure Of Your Work During The Competition
  • A Free LensCulture Portfolio Account To Showcase Your Work
© Diana Markosian / Magnum Photos

Get a Free Submission Review

Submit a series or five or more single images to the Magnum Photography Awards 2017 and receive a free Submission Review. Our expert written Submission Reviews include a personalized critique on how to make your submission stronger — what is working well and what can be improved — as well as recommendations for improving your practice and preparing your work for competitions, grants, juried exhibitions, and other calls for entries. We have over 100 trusted and qualified educators, photo editors, curators, publishers, gallerists, and other industry professionals who provide meaningful critiques and actionable feedback on your photography.

Submit a series or five or more single images to the Magnum Photography Awards 2017 and receive a free Submission Review! Our expert-written reviews include a personalized critique on how to make your submission stronger as well as recommendations for improving your practice. Hear from one of over 100 trusted and qualified photography professionals who will provide meaningful critique on your photography.

READ WHAT LENSCULTURE’S COMMUNITY OF PHOTOGRAPHERS IS SAYING ABOUT SUBMISSION REVIEWS:

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!

— Christian Bobst
See Christian’s full review »

Thank you! This was really a terrific and thoughtful review. It’s tough once you hit a point in your work to get the type of critical review that pushes you forward, and I think you guys do as good a job as I’ve seen given the format and resources (i.e. not an in-person critique or formal portfolio review). In fact, your reviewers’ suggestions on a previous project helped me be named as PhotoLucida finalist in 2016 which led to a show at the Annenberg Space for Photography in LA.

— Mike Magers
See Mike’s full review »

This review helped me much more than I was expecting!! I was a bit lost selecting the photos for this portfolio, and now I have a better idea on what to do and how to proceed with this idea! Again, thank you!!!

— Andrea Schmidt
See Andrea’s full review »

Learn More and View Actual Submission Reviews »

© Trent Parke / Magnum Photos

Enter the Magnum Photography Awards 2017

Magnum Photos has been so thrilled to engage with the photography community at large, and this second edition of the Magnum Photography Awards is a testament to that. We want to see work from everywhere in the world, from anyone who has a photographic point of view to share. Collectively, Magnum and LensCulture believe that every photographer who participates deserves an opportunity for global recognition AND expert feedback. Share your work with us NOW to be part of a special moment for contemporary photographers across the globe. We’re open to all types of photography, all points of view, all countries, and ALL ages.

Enter the Magnum Photography Awards

Magnum Photos is thrilled to be engaging with the photography community through this competition! We are seeking work from everywhere in the world, from anyone who has a photographic point of view to share. Collectively, Magnum and LensCulture believe that every photographer who participates deserves an opportunity for global recognition AND expert feedback. Share your work with us NOW to be part of a special moment for contemporary photographers across the globe!

Are you a currently enrolled student? Get a 30% discount on your entry fee. Start your submission and select the option to register as a student. Your discount will then be automatically applied to your entry.

How do I select a category? Start your submission. At that point, you can select one of the following categories: Documentary, Portrait, Street, Fine Art, Photojournalism and Open.

Closed for new entries.
© Raghu Rai / Magnum Photos

Magnum’s Commitment to Education

Magnum Photos has been committed to educating a new generation of photographers since 2007. With decades of practical experience, Magnum’s global education and development initiatives provide photographers with access to the vast experience of Magnum’s photographers, senior staff and client network. The launch of a new Education hub on Magnum’s digital storytelling platform allows more people to be reached and gain access to insightful resources from Magnum’s photographers and leading industry professionals.

The new generation of photographers has also inspired LensCulture to develop resources and tools for photography education that facilitate feedback and workshop opportunities designed for career growth. Together, Magnum Photos’ and LensCulture’s shared commitment to education has led us to offer a discount for students who participate in the awards.

Currently enrolled students are eligible to receive a 30% discount on their entry fee.

Magnum Photos has been committed to educating a new generation of photographers since 2007. Magnum’s global education and development initiatives provide photographers with access to decades of practical experience and the shared wisdom of the Magnum community. The launch of a new Education hub on Magnum’s digital storytelling platform allows more people to be reached with these inspiring resources.

LensCulture is also dedicated to developing resources and tools for photography education that facilitate feedback as well as workshop opportunities designed for career growth. Together, Magnum Photos’ and LensCulture’s shared commitment to education has led us to offer a discount for students who participate in these Awards.

Currently, enrolled students are eligible to receive a 30% discount on their entry fee.

© Martin Parr / Magnum Photos

Success Stories

We believe that competitions are one of the best ways to gain valuable international exposure and to connect with the photography industry. Hundreds of photographers have used LensCulture to move forward in their careers and gain inspiration from our like-minded community, which is why Magnum Photos has partnered with them to offer an opportunity of their own. Hear how the lives of these photographers were impacted by winning a LensCulture competition.

Renée C Byer
United States
Whether photographing in African electronic waste dumpsites or at the local oncology ward, Renée C Byer believes deeply in the power of photography to tell stories and affect change. Here, she describes how a LensCulture award helped her work reach a worldwide audience.
Sander Troelstra
The Netherlands
Driven by a passion to understand humanity through portraiture, Sander Troelstra travelled to South Africa to photograph his “Children of the Night.” His commitment to his craft is inspiring—hear the rest of his story.
Floriane de Lassée
France
Listen to Floriane de Lassée, Emerging Talent 2014 winner, tell her inspiring story about traveling around the world to photograph the loads that people carry—a journey filled with discoveries and surprises.

More Success Stories

Meet the photographers that are moving forward in their careers and gaining inspiration from the LensCulture community every day. You could be next—and we want to help you get there. Click the photographer photos to hear how their careers were impacted by winning awards.

  • Roderick McNicol
    Australia
  • Peter van der Heyden
    The Netherlands
  • Pierre Abensur
    France
  • Polly Braden
    United Kingdom
  • Irmina Walczak
    Brazil
  • Kris Sanford
    United States
  • Joshua Rashaad McFadden
    United States
  • Niki Boon
    New Zealand
  • Steve Scallone
    Australia
  • Denny Renshaw
    United States
  • Camille Michel
    France
  • Thomas Kiefer
    United States
  • Hans Gindlesberger
    United States
  • Daimon Xanthopoulos
    The Netherlands
  • Sandra Pereznieto
    Mexico
  • Tony Corocher
    Italy
  • Alan Thomas Wilkie
    Norway
  • Franky Verdickt
    Belgium
  • Bela Doka
    Hungary
  • Eugenio Grosso
    United Kingdom
WE RESPECT ARTIST’S RIGHTS

All photographers retain full copyrights for their own work. Period. Winners and Finalists grant LensCulture and Magnum 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.

MAGNUM PHOTOGRAPHY
AWARDS 2017

© Olivia Arthur / Magnum Photos