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EXHIBITION AT PHOTO LONDON | Free submission review | FESTIVAL PROJECTIONS | INDUSTRY RECOGNITION

Seeking the New Photographic Portrait

LensCulture Portrait Awards 2016 is our 3rd annual competition to discover the very best contemporary portrait photography from all cultures around the world. We believe portraits are the most fundamental type of photograph — helping people to understand and celebrate human connections on a universal level. We encourage anyone, from anywhere, with a new perspective on the modern-day portrait to enter. 6 Winners, 8 Jurors' Picks and 25 Finalists will be chosen.

LensCulture is dedicated to helping all photographers move forward professionally. Through this competition, we will provide photographers from all over the world with opportunities for immediate exposure and meaningful feedback from a renowned group of industry professionals.

Closed for new entries. Winners will be announced in late April.

Portrait Awards
International
Jury 2016

Anne Bourgeois-Vignon
Global Digital Director
Magnum Photos
London, UK
www.magnumphotos.com
Anne Bourgeois-Vignon is the Global Digital Director of Magnum Photos. Her interests lie at the intersection of visual culture and publishing, with a specific interest in the relationship between digital and physical experiences. She conceives, commissions, and produces visual and editorial projects. Previously, Anne has held roles as Creative Content Director of Nowness and Picture Director of Forward Publishing. She writes and talks about photography and has participated in numerous juries and reviews.
Alessia Glaviano
Senior Photo Editor
Vogue Italia
L'Uomo Vogue

Milan, Italy
www.vogue.it

Alessia Glaviano is the senior photo editor for Vogue Italia and L’Uomo Vogue. She curated a series of interviews with the masters of photography for the website version of Vogue Italia, which have acquired enormous popularity in the photography community and which are also broadcast on the Italian Sky Arte channel. Glaviano is also responsible for Photo Vogue, an innovative platform on which users can share their own photographs knowing they can rely on the curatorial supervision of professional photo editors.

Under Alessia Glaviano’s direction, Photo Vogue has reached over 120,000 users/photographers hailing from all over the world and launched a collaboration with the prestigious international agency Art & Commerce, which represents some of the most esteemed names in fashion photography, including Steven Meisel, Sølve Sundsbø, Paolo Roversi and Patrick Demarchelier. At Condé Nast, Alessia is responsible for the artistic direction of events and exhibitions for Vogue Italia and L’Uomo Vogue. Besides her editorial activity, Alessia teaches the IED’s Master courses in Milan and holds lectures and conferences on a regular basis. Some of the institutes and universities she was invited as guest lecturer include: IED, Bocconi University and the Milan Polytechnic.

Alessia Glaviano was invited to participate as a jury member in numerous internationally acclaimed photography contests including the World Press Photo and has participated in several portfolio review sessions, including the New York Times Portfolio Reviews.

Emma Bowkett
Director of Photography
Financial Times Weekend Magazine
London, UK
www.ft.com/magazine

Emma Bowkett is Director of Photography at the Financial Times FT Weekend Magazine. Joining in 2009, she was integral to the small creative team who reworked the visual language of the magazine ready for the 2010 re-launch.

Furthermore, she is a visiting university lecturer, and regularly participates at international portfolio reviews, festivals, art fairs and awards, including Unseen, Foam Paul Huf, and the Kraszner-Krausz Foundation Book Award. Emma has been a Master at both Foam and Fabrica Masterclasses and is part of Magnum Photos Professional Practice, which supports young and emerging photographers. In 2015, she co-curated a Financial Times special supplement and day of events as part of Photo London. She recently won the inaugural Firecracker Contributors Award, which recognises women who have had a substantial impact on the photography industry and is voted for by professional photographers.

The magazine won Supplement of the Year 2014 in the UK Press Awards.

Emma has a Masters degree in Image and Communication from Goldsmiths University in London.

Clare Grafik
Head of Exhibitions
The Photographers’ Gallery
London, UK
thephotographersgallery.org.uk
Clare Grafik is Head of Exhibitions at The Photographers’ Gallery in London. She earned a BA Joint Honors in Philosophy/Art History at Leeds University, and MA in Image and Communications (Photography) at Goldsmiths College. She has worked in a number of public institutions in London including the Institute of Contemporary Arts, Whitechapel Art Gallery, Hayward Gallery and National Portrait Gallery. She has been at The Photographers’ Gallery since 2003 working in public programming and curating exhibitions. She has worked on exhibitions and projects with artists and photographers including Lise Sarfati, Isa Genzken, Larry Sultan, Mike Mandel, Taryn Simon, Katy Grannan, Antoine D’Agata, Cuny Janssen, Zineb Sedira and Keith Arnatt. Group exhibitions include The Photographic Object (2009) and Photography & Collage (2012). She has been a Sessional Lecturer at Birkbeck College, London, has lectured at institutions including University of the Arts, University of South Wales, Sothebys Institute of Art, and written for magazines including IANN and Art Monthly. Forthcoming projects include solo exhibitions with Viviane Sassen and Charlotte Dumas and a group exhibition ‘Double Take: Drawing & Photography’ with the Drawing Room, London.
Juror ford
Lauren Ford
Photographic Director
Dazed & Confused
London, UK
www.dazeddigital.com
Lauren joined Dazed & Confused in 2011 as Photo Producer. In 2013 she was promoted to Photographic Editor, and 2015 to Photographic Director. She currently works with some of the world’s leading photographers, as well as new, emerging photographic talent from all over the world, commissioning and producing shoots for Dazed & Confused Magazine, Dazed Digital and Dazed Media Studio. Lauren has worked on judging panels for Stockholm Photography week and London Connections (Le Book).
Juror cannabrava
Iatã Cannabrava
Photographer & Festival Organizer
São Paulo, Brazil
www.iatacannabrava.fot.br

Iatã Cannabrava was born in Brazil in 1962. He has worked as a photographer for decades, developing a series of social and documentary projects over his career. He worked at newspapers like Folha de São Paulo, Jornal da Tarde and magazines like Veja (among others). He also worked with numerous Brazilian publishers and was a photographer at the São Paulo Cultural Center. His work has been included in over 40 exhibitions and he was named the winner of the prestigious P/B photography award at the São Paulo photography quadrennial. He has published 10 books and his works are held in numerous galleries and private collections.

Besides his own work, Cannabrava has been active in the photographic community at large. He served as the President of São Paulo's photographer's union. He has organized over 30 exhibitions and personally overseen over 15 workshops. In addition, he created and directed the Photography Clinic, the site of over 80 workshops.

Juror carrucci
Elinor Carucci
Photographer
New York, USA
www.elinorcarucci.com

Born 1971 in Jerusalem, Israel, Elinor Carucci graduated in 1995 from Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design with a degree in photography, and moved to New York that same year. Her work has been included in many solo and group exhibitions worldwide. Solo shows include Edwynn Houk gallery, Fifty One Fine Art Gallery, James Hyman and Gagosian Gallery, London among others. Group shows include The Museum of Modern Art New York, MoCP Chicago and The Photographers' Gallery, London.

Her photographs are included in the collections of The Museum of Modern Art New York, the Brooklyn Museum of Art, Houston Museum of Fine Art, among others. Her work has appeared in The New York Times Magazine, The New Yorker, Details, New York Magazine, W, Aperture, ARTnews and many more publications.

She was awarded the ICP Infinity Award in 2001, The Guggenheim Fellowship in 2002 and NYFA in 2010. Carucci has published three monographs to date, Closer, Chronicle Books 2002 and Diary of a dancer, SteidlMack 2005 and MOTHER, Prestel 2013.

Carucci currently teaches at the graduate program of photography at School of Visual Arts and is represented by Edwynn Houk Gallery.

Her recent solo exhibition, The Effect of Motherhood, showing images from both personal work and editorial stories, was the launching show at the new Condé Nast gallery in New York.

Casper.sq
Jim Casper
Editor-in-Chief
LensCulture
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
www.lensculture.com
Jim 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 Portrait Photography
From Around the World

STUDIO • CANDID • CONCEPTUAL • ENVIRONMENTAL • STREET • ALTERNATIVE PROCESS • SELF-PORTRAITS
GROUPS & COUPLES • STAGED • COMPOSITES • SELFIES

Pa15 showcase 3rows
Phillip englehorn quote
Philipp Engelhorn
Winner, LensCulture Portrait Awards 2015
“In just three weeks since the announcement, Photo District News (PDN) picked up my Swimmer series for online usage. S Moda Magazine, a supplement to El País journal in Spain, asked me for some images as well. 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!”
Winners & Jurors' Picks will be featured at Photo London 2016 — one of the largest and most prestigious annual photo events for international collectors!

Career Launching Awards

— JURY SELECTED — — LENSCULTURE —
winners jurors' pick finalists editors'
picks*
every
entrant
$22,000 in Cash Awards
Photo London Exhibition
International Festival Projections
‘Portrait Award 2016' Printed Annual
Live, Online Review with Expert
Featured Article on LensCulture.com
International Press Exposure
Visibility with LensCulture Insiders
Immediate Exposure in Competition Gallery
Invitation-Only LensCulture Portfolio Account
Submission Review by Photo Industry Expert**

*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.

**Submission Review: Available for all Series entries, and Single Image entries with 5-or-more photos.

Awards & Benefits

Cash Awards

Series Award:

1st Place: $5000
2nd Place: $2000
3rd Place: $1000

Single Image Award:

1st Place: $3500
2nd Place: $1500
3rd Place: $1000

Jurors' Picks:

Each juror will select one photographer to receive a $1,000 Juror's Pick Award.


Exhibition at Photo London

All Winners and Jurors' Picks 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 Photo London in May 2015.

Pa16 award photolondon

Projections at International
Photo Festivals

Pa16 award festival

Visibility with LensCulture Insiders

Work from hundreds of the 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 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


LensCulture Portrait Awards 2016 Annual

A museum-quality competition catalog featuring the winning photographers' work will be distributed to all the Winners, Finalists and Jurors' Picks. In addition, the catalog will be made available to our entire network of LensCulture Insiders and industry professionals which includes influential editors, curators, festival directors, publishers, gallery directors and more.

Pa16 award annual Photos © Philipp Engelhorn

Immediate Increase in Exposure of Your Work During the Competition

Just by entering, your work will be reviewed by our editors for immediate exposure in our Competition Gallery and across all our online channels. On average, our featured entries receive a total of 4 to 6 million views on Facebook, bringing those selected photographers a massive boost of visibility to their work. While our editors review all entries on a daily basis, they can only share a limited number of them as featured entries.

Pa16 award gallery

Live, Online Review Session With Photo Industry Experts

All Winners, Jurors' Picks 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.

Pa16 award session Photo © Susan Worsham

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.

Pa16 award massive online Promotions include a Feature article on LensCulture, Facebook, & Flipboard.
Photo © Youngho Kang

International Press Exposure

Each year the Portrait Awards receive extensive press coverage from around the world. Winners, finalists and entrants have been featured in major publications including BBC, the Guardian, 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!

Press logos

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.

Award portfolio account

Free Submission Review by Industry Expert

Enter a series or 5+ single images in LensCulture Portrait Awards 2016 and get a free submission review! We believe that every photographer who enters deserves thoughtful feedback on their work. We have recruited dozens of 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 continues to be one of the most meaningful services at LensCulture, and an important part of our competitions. We are delighted with the positive feedback from photographers:

Learn More and View Actual Submission Reviews »

Fulvio bugani quote
Fulvio Bugani
Finalist,
LensCulture Portrait Awards 2015
“Regarding my latest success: my whole work has been published on TIME LightBox. I've been invited to take part in some photo festivals, such as Lucca PhotoLux. I've also been contacted by Amnesty International to do an exhibition with them in Rome during a summer festival. And I'm now collaborating with the Leica Store in Bologna who will exhibit my work in July.”

Show us
Your Work!

© Romina Ressia

Portrait photography resonates in cultures all over the world. Why? Because people are truly interested in other people: from celebrities, politicians and cultural icons to the gaze of everyday people. We encounter portraits, self-portraits and selfies all around us, in advertising, magazines and social media. It's a captivating artform that continues to evolve with the times. At LensCulture, we are interested in discovering the full potential of 21st century portraits — the best portrait photography being made today.

Enter Early!

Our photography competitions are different. We believe every photographer who participates deserves an opportunity for global recognition AND expert feedback. The sooner you enter, the more opportunities you have to share your work and engage with the global photo community. During the competition, you will receive a weekly email of helpful ideas and resources on how to move forward creatively and professionally with your work. Unlike most competitions, you can change your entry after you submit all the way up to the deadline. Get started today and don't miss this opportunity.

There are no limitations on age, level, genre or location. For further information, please see our FAQ.

Closed for new entries. Winners will be announced in late April.

Career Changing Exposure

© Peter van der Heyden

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. Hear how the lives of these photographers were impacted by winning a LensCulture competition.

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.

  • Hans Gindlesberger
    United States
  • Vincent Gouriou
    France
  • Michael Joseph
    United States
  • Tetsuya Kusu
    Japan
  • Candace Karch
    United States
  • Tony Corocher
    Italy
  • Philipp Engelhorn
    Hong Kong
  • Ulrik Tofte
    Denmark
  • Alan Thomas Wilkie
    Norway
  • Fulvio Bugani
    Italy
  • Nina Roeder
    Germany
  • Tsutomu Yamagata
    Japan
  • Marius Schultz
    Norway
  • Ioana Cirlig
    Romania
  • Birgit Püve
    Estonia
  • Marja Pirila
    Finland
  • Candace Gaudiani
    United States
  • Carlotta Cardana
    United Kingdom
  • Claire Felicie
    Netherlands
  • Bela Doka
    Hungary
Candlestar logo
Exhibition Space at PhotoLondon generously provided by Candlestar.
www.photolondon.org
Genesis logo
Exhibition Prints generously provided by Genesis Imaging.
www.genesisimaging.co.uk
Editiononebooks logo
Printing of the LensCulture Portrait Awards Annual generously provided by Edition One Books.
www.editiononebooks.com

We respect artist’s rights

All photographers retain full copyrights for their own work. Period. Winners and Finalists grant LensCulture limited, restricted use of winning photos only to promote the photographers themselves and in connection with marketing LensCulture Awards competitions. LensCulture editors will select and feature hundreds (but not all) of submissions during the competition in our online gallery and social media albums (always with copyright credit noted for each participating photographer).
Details can be found in the Competition rules

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© Pályi Zsófia