Lens Culture International Exposure Awards

We’re looking for exciting images from every continent, and from diverse points of view: documentary, fine art, photojournalism, street photography, poetic, personal, abstract and human.

An international jury of photography experts will review and judge every photo submitted.

Four winning photographers will each earn cash prizes — plus prominent, exclusive photo features in Lens Culture, giving them access and broad exposure to an enthusiastic, influential worldwide audience.

The four winning photographers will also win $1000 credit toward a professional, custom-designed portfolio website by liveBooks, plus a personal Blurb photobook (value $70 or
50 euros).

Additionally, 25 photographers will win Honorable Mention Awards, including the display of one single image each in the Winners' Gallery in Lens Culture, and a link to their personal or professional web pages — a powerful way to get the attention of hundreds of thousands of photography lovers!

Award Categories and Prizes

All levels of amateurs and professional photographers are invited to apply for these awards. Two categories of photographs will be judged:

Portfolio Award

Submit 10 to 15 photographic images that are linked — thematically, aesthetically, as a story, or simply as a range of your photographic talent. Edit your selections carefully, since this category will be judged on the strength of the group of photographs as a whole, and not as individual photographs.

One Grand Prize Winner gets:

$1,500 cash PLUS:

A prominent feature article in Lens Culture.

$1000 credit toward a professional, custom designed portfolio website by liveBooks.

A free 8x10 or 10x8 Blurb photobook, up to 120 pages, on premium paper (value 50 euros or $70).

The winner will also be announced in the Lens Culture blog, along with a special mention in the Lens Culture email newsletter that is sent to thousands of subscribers. Prints of some of the winning images from the Photo Series Award may also be eligible for sale via Lens Culture Editions, subject to an optional agreement between the winner and Lens Culture.

Single Image Photo Awards — All Categories

Submit one to five photos to be considered for the Single Image Photo Awards.

Often, a single powerful photograph captures our attention as important, artistic, meaningful, and memorable. A great photo can stand on its own, demonstrating a remarkable level of visual perception, sensitivity, and creativity. The jury will choose three cash prize winners in this category. All winning photographs will be displayed prominently in Lens Culture, along with the photographers' names and links to their web pages.

Prizes for Single Image Photo Awards:

1st prize: $1,000 cash
2nd prize: $500 cash
3rd prize: $250 cash

PLUS each 1st, 2nd and 3rd prize winners will receive:

Prominent placement of your winning photo on the Award Winner's Page in Lens Culture, including a link to your own personal or professional website.

$1000 credit toward a professional, custom designed portfolio website by liveBooks.

A free customized 8x10 or 10x8 Blurb photobook of your photos, up to 120 pages, on premium paper (value 50 euros, or $70).


25 Honorable Mention Awards:

25 Honorable Mention photographs will win prominent placement of your winning photo on the Award Winner's Page in Lens Culture, including a link to your own personal or professional website.

PLUS each winner of an Honorable Mention Award will win a free customized 8x10 or 10x8 Blurb photobook of your photos, up to 120 pages, on premium paper, (value 50 euros, or $70).

Submit your photos by September 15, 2009
Applicants must submit their photos to us online at: http://lensculture.slideroom.com. You will be prompted to register for a free account at the entry site. For good image quality and fast upload, your image files should be less than 2 MB each, and sized around 1024 x 768 pixels @ 72 ppi. Our online portal offers additional instruction for submitting work. For complete submission guidelines and rules, please see our FAQs and rules.

Winners will be announced by October 15, 2009

Prizes will be awarded, and all winning photographs will be exhibited online, prominently, to coincide with Lens Culture's extra-special Paris Photo Edition in November 2009.

About Lens Culture

Lens Culture is one of the most popular and influential online magazines about contemporary photography today. The site attracts between 5,000 and 7,000+ unique visitors every day, from more than 50 countries (over 2 million visits each year). Our audience includes photography collectors, photo editors, book publishers, museum curators, art gallery owners, agents, critics, journalists, festival directors, and other passionate lovers of photography. Several artists whose photographs have gained attention as a result of their feature in Lens Culture have won book publishing contracts, solo and group art gallery shows, museum exhibitions, participation in international photography festivals, and commissions from around the world. Select artists are offered the opportunity to sell limited editions of their work through Lens Culture Editions, earning them thousands of dollars from sales to international art collectors.

Good luck!