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Thursday, September 17, 2015

ROGER BALLEN PHOTOGRAPHY AWARD 2015



Deadline:  April 30, 2016

The Roger Ballen Foundation was established in 2007 as a platform to promote education around contemporary photography, in particular black and white photography. Its programme is dedicated to the development and advancement of photography in South Africa.

The Foundation creates and supports programmes of the highest quality to further understanding and appreciation of the medium. Working with artists and photographers from around the world, the programme enables students and general audiences to engage with notable contemporary photographic art that would otherwise not be seen in South Africa.

This year the Foundation will launch the first Roger Ballen Photography Award at the Joburg Art Fair. The award will be granted to a photographer whose work illustrates ground-breaking vision just as Ballen’s work has pushed the boundaries of photography for the past 40 years.

For this inaugural award, applicants will be allowed to submit a minimum of three and a maximum of five digital images that best represent their creativity. The award is one of the few photography awards aimed at young emerging photographers in South Africa. It is a national award that seeks to reach as wide an audience as possible.

The Roger Ballen Photography Award is also one of the few awards focusing on black and white photography. This is not only an important medium as there are fewer photographers specialising in the medium, but also it is becoming a unique form of photography as the world moves into a highly digitized age. The award aims to encourage young photographers between the ages of 18 and 30 years to experiment and explore the medium of black and white photography. The award is open to all young South African aspirant photographers based in South Africa.

The Grand Prize includes a three day sponsored trip to Paris Photo 2016 where the winner will have the opportunity to attend one of the world’s largest and most prestigious contemporary photography art fairs. The competition closes on April 30, 2016.

 The Roger Ballen Photography Award is granted to a photographer whose work illustrates ground breaking vision. Ballen’s work has pushed the boundaries of photography for the past 40 years. For this inaugural award applicants will be allowed to submit a minimum of three and a maximum of five digital images. Works will be selected based on the following criteria:

  • Images which display an ambiguity between documentary and fiction.
  • Images that go beyond pure documentary.
  • The use of an animal in some form utilized within the composition.

Judges will select finalists based on the technical and conceptual strength of the photographs.

Entrants must between the ages of 18 to 30 years and have a valid South African identity document. Any entry that does not meet all requirements will not be considered. All entries must be received before April 30 2016. No late entries will be accepted.

Entry forms can be found on the Roger Ballen Foundation website at www.rogerballen.org