Application deadline: January 1, 2024
Fotogalleriet relaunches the Nordic PhotoBook Award in a renewed format to support novel, radical, and cutting-edge approaches to the photobook format that rethinks the need for publishing today. The prize aims to support the production of a fully-fledged book that takes a radical approach in this critical historical time.
Submissions are accepted from professionals based on the Norwegian territory, Norwegian citizens, or practitioners connected to Norwegian and Sámi artists and photographers. We don’t expect an entirely conceived dummy for a photobook but a project proposal for a book of photography that is advanced enough to discuss with a publisher the book publication, and some of its material. We welcome submissions that argue for the need to publish a book in multiples of 250, 500, 1,000, or more (depending on the project and within the scope of the production budget) and the need for its relevance today. We prioritize the proposal concerning material that has already been collected for book publication, digitized or adequately archived, and ready for publication. The material may have been produced during the last year, a decade, or several decades back, but for different reasons, it never found publication. We look at the concept of the new as something that may not have seen appreciation or a proper understanding in its time and awaits publication due to its relevance today.
The value of the prize consists of kr 200,000 (approx. 17,000 EUR or 18,000 USD), which will be channeled toward the production, distribution, and promotion of the work. The award is open to professionals using photography, proposing the book publishing as a form and a project that has not been published before. In exceptional cases, and given proper argumentation, the jury will consider proposals for books that have previously been printed but need to find a new publication. The jury will pay special attention to content-driven, experimental, and innovative editorial recommendations.
The deadline for applications is January 1, 2024. A jury constituted by educator and publisher Bruno Ceschel, director of Self Publish Be Happy; curator and photobook specialist Anna Planas, artistic director of Paris Photo; and the curatorial team of Fotogalleriet will select the shortlisted projects and designate a winner. The selected proposals may be exhibited as part of the official award procedures in consultation with the applicant.
The awarded project will find publication through SPBH Editions.
For detailed information on how to apply and to read more about the prize's history, please visit the Fotogalleriet website.
About Fotogalleriet
Funded by the Ministry of Culture and Equality, Oslo City, and the Norwegian Photographic Fund, Fotogalleriet was established in 1977 as the first institution of its kind in the Nordic region and remains the only kunsthalle in Norway, focusing on photography as a critical art practice. At the core of its mandate, the foundation works for a more balanced representation in the art field and society through collaboration with central, socially engaged organizations to spearhead fundamental discussions on art, visual culture, and image production.
