As 2013 comes to an end, a number of prestigious photo grants, competitions and contests are still accepting entries for their 2014 awards. If you’re looking for something to keep you busy during the holiday break, try submitting your work for one of the awards or grants listed below.
Leica Oskar Barnack Award
In honor of Leica’s centennial in 2014, the camera company is doubling the value of the Oskar Barnack Award’s cash prizes to 10,000 euros for the winner of the professional photographer category and 5,000 euros for the winner of the emerging photographer category. The only requirement for photographers is that they must submit a series that includes images made in 2013. The award, which is named after the inventor of the 35mm Leica camera, recognizes “professional photographers whose unerring powers of observation capture and express the relationship between man and the environment in the most graphic form in a sequence of a minimum of 10 [but] up to a maximum of 12 images.”
This year Leica has added a new category to the competition, the Public Award, and the winner is determined based on the number of votes received on www.i-shot-it.com. When photographers submit their work in consideration for the Leica Oskar Barnack Award, they can also opt-in to participate in the Public Award at no additional fee. The cash prize is 2,500 euros.
The deadline for submissions is January 31, 2014; no submission fee. More information can be found at www.leica-oskar-barnack-award.com.
Alexia Foundation Grants
Every year the Alexia Foundation recognizes a professional and student photographer whose work helps “promote world peace and cultural understanding.” The 2014 Professional Grant winner will receive $20,000—an increase from last year’s prize of $15,000—while the Student Grant winner will win $1,000, a semester at Syracuse University in London and more. Additionally, the Alexia Foundation established a new student grant this year in honor of Robert E. Gilka, the former director of photography for National Geographic who passed away in June 2013. The Gilka Grant, which is a $1,500 scholarship to attend The Kalish workshop, will be awarded to a “project proposal that also includes a multimedia component.”
The deadline for professional submissions is 2 PM on January 13, 2014; $50 submission fee. The deadline for student submissions is 2 PM on January 27, 2013; no submission fee. More information can be found at www.alexiafoundation.org.
World Press Photo and Multimedia Contest
The 57th annual World Press Photo is currently accepting submissions in a variety of categories including General News, Contemporary Issues, Sports and Nature. Additionally, the 4th annual World Press Multimedia Contest is accepting submissions in the Short Feature, Long Feature and Interactive Documentary categories. Both competitions honor outstanding work in the field of photojournalism. The winner of the prestigious World Press Photo of the Year award will win a cash prize of 10,000 euros, while the first-prize winners in all of the photo and multimedia categories will receive a cash prize of 1,500 euros.
The deadline to request a username and password for the submission website is 11:59 PM on January 9, 2014, while the deadline for submissions is 11:59 PM on January 15, 2014; no submission fee. More information can be found at www.worldpressphoto.org/enter.
PDNEdu Student Photo Contest
PDNEdu, The Photo Group publication for photography students, is seeking entries for its annual Student Photo Contest. College students who are currently enrolled in classes can submit a single image or a series of work in a number of different categories including Fashion/Portraiture, Documentary/Photojournalism, Still Life and Multimedia/Video. High-school students can also submit any type of photographic work in the Pre-College category. Grand-prize winners in each category will receive a Nikon camera, B&H gift card, portfolio review and more. Plus, they will be featured in the Spring 2014 issue of PDNEdu.
The deadline for submissions is December 21, 2013; $12 submission fee. More information can be found at http://contest.pdnedu.com/index.shtml.
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