Photographic portraits are part of everyday life in almost all parts of the world. From fine art to spontaneous selfies, from hyper-perfect photoshopped portraits to seductive (and often fictitious) social media profile pics, to mobile phone snaps altered with digital nostalgia filters. Some are candid, some are staged, some are outrageous and silly, others are just plain beautiful.
The aim of LensCulture Portrait Awards is to discover a full range of great 21st century photo portraits. The competition is open to everything. All points of view. All levels of expertise. All corners of the world. All ideas of portraiture.
There are two categories:
• Portfolio:
Submit up to 5 or more photographic portraits that work well together as a series — variations of a single person, or members of a group, changes over time, etc. This category is open to all interpretations of what can be called a "portrait" - thematically, conceptually, sociologically, 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 portraits as a whole, and not as individual photographs.
• Single Image:
Often, a single powerful portrait captures our attention as honest, genuine, striking, meaningful, and memorable. A great portrait can stand on its own, demonstrating a remarkable level of intimacy, psychological perception, sensitivity, and creativity. All techniques of photography are welcome, and all interpretations of what defines a "portrait" are invited, as well.
All entrants must be able to supply high resolution images suitable for printing in media, and for public exhibition. All photographers retain full copyrights for their own work.
Entry fee:
• Portfolio category: $55 for a related series of 5 images, $5 for each additional image, no limit.
• Single Image category: $35 for first image, $5 for each additional image, no limit.
Eligibility
The competition is open to professional and amateur photographers (over 18 years of age). However entries will be disqualified if they have already won major international awards or have been previously featured in extensive international press coverage.
Prize
There are three cash prizes for the Portfolio Awards:
• Grand prize: $1,500
• 2nd prize: $500
• 3rd prize: $250
There are three cash prizes for the Single Image Awards:
• Grand prize: $1,000
• 2nd prize: $500
• 3rd prize: $250
Moreover, all cash prize winners and 25 finalists will have prominent worldwide exposure. All winning photos will be presented in feature articles in LensCulture and broadcast to over 200,000 enthusiastic and influential media partners, photography professionals, experts, curators, collectors and photography lovers worldwide.
All Winners, Finalists and 100 other highly-rated photographers will win valuable invitation-only Portfolio Accounts on LensCulture, with the ability to upload and display additional projects, and to link to their own professional websites, galleries, agencies, schools, publishers and photo books. This offers invaluable long-term worldwide exposure via one of the most respected platforms for global contemporary photography.
