In 2022 the Tyrolean street paper 20er and the City of Innsbruck are jointly issuing a new award for documentary photography: “Korridor – Innsbrucker Preis für Dokumentarfotografie”. It will honor a project documenting the situation of refugees within the EU or its (political) outskirts. The chosen name Korridor (Engl.: corridor) reflects both on the difficult situation of refugees and our responsibilities as a civil society – as well as it is a reminder that documentary photography can often be one of the few pathways to people and places, we otherwise might not be able to see or even begin to understand. The organizers are looking forward to receiving works with a unique perspective on one of the most pressing issues of our time.

What winners receive

• The winner receives a cash prize of 3.500 Euros, awarded at Innsbruck’s traditional “Fest der Vielfalt” (party of diversity) on June 25. The selection will be announced throughout different city media, in the street paper 20er and via an international press release, as well as through the international street paper network INSP with the chance to reach a global audience.

• With agreement of the winner the selected project will be shown in the June issue of the Tyrolean street paper 20er – alongside a big written portrait about the artist. This portrait could be offered for republishing through the global street paper network INSP as well, thus creating awareness internationally.

• In fall 2022 the selected work will be shown at a single exhibition in Innsbruck, produced at the expense of the street paper 20er and the City of Innsbruck – but curated in close accordance with the photographer. To the opening the winner and all jury members will be invited, travel and accommodation costs are covered on a fair basis.

About the organizer

"Korridor - Innsbrucker Preis für Dokumentarfotografie" is organized and awarded by the Tyrolean street paper 20er and the City of Innsbruck.

About the Tyrolean street paper 20er: 20er is one of the oldest street papers in Europe. It has been issued for more than two decades now and is a member of the global street paper network INSP alongside such highquality publications as The Big Issue (UK, Australia) or Surprise (Switzerland). 20er is proud to be recognized as an important source of independent and highquality journalism within a nearly monopolistic regional media market – whilst staying true to being a truly social medium: Half of the proceeds go to its colporteurs from socially and economically very difficult backgrounds, like migrants with no official working rights or homeless persons. Since a big relaunch in 2020 the paper has been focusing more and more on design and photography, within its modest means – since it doesn't receive any public funding at all. If you'd like to get a better impression of the quality of 20er, please feel free to order the latest issues as PDF with the addition "regarding photo prize application" under this address: info@20er.at.

City of Innsbruck, Office for Integration Policy and Strategy: The City of Innsbruck (Tyrol, Austria) is co-organizing and financing this award. Mainly involved is the Office for Integration Policy and Strategy, who is also host of an event series around the motto "aus.grenzen – auf.machen" (a German wordplay which roughly translates to the comparison "excluding borders – opening up"). Over the course of one year this series includes film screenings, readings and theatre as well as interactive workshops, city tours and lectures. The series, which started in October 21, is organized together with NGOs like Plattform Asyl and the Red Cross and is supported by the province of Tyrol. Please find official information on the City of Innsbruck here: https://www.innsbruck.at/

How to Enter

Dedicated documentary photographers of all ages, genders, nationalities and religious backgrounds may apply. But only works touching the realities of refugees living within EU borders or at its (political) outskirts are taken into consideration. The projects can be ongoing and need to have at least partly been created since 2019.

Judging Criteria

By inviting a jury with strong but diverse expertise in documentary photography there is a momentum of surprise even to the award's organizers as to which artistic style might be most price worthy to the experts. But it is clear that an approach which is respectful of the protagonist's human essence and which tells the stories of refugees uncompromised by sensationalism will surely be very welcome. As the street paper 20er has a strong focus on Solutions Journalism (as defined by the Solutions Journalism Network) the editorial team would be very interested to see works which document solutions (including their challenges) for the often-tragic circumstances of forced migration to the EU. Even if not awarded with the prize there might be a chance for later publication. But the decision on the best work for this award will solely be made by the expert jury, not the editorial team, which only has a moderating role in the jury session and will not vote.

Karen Fromm, professor for photojournalism and documentary photography, Hannover, Germany

Prof. Dr. Karen Fromm is Professor at the University of Applied Sciences and Arts Hanover, where she teaches visual culture, pictorial languages and the documentary. In the past she managed the Galerie Pfefferberg in Berlin and was a member of the management of the FOCUS photography and press agency. She has founded the platform IMAGE MATTERS and edited the volumes “Bilder im Konflikt/Images in Conflic“' (2018) and “image/con/text. Documentary Practices between Journalism, Art and Activism“ (2020). She is Head of the International Class for Photojournalism and Documentary Photography in Hanover and director of the LUMIX Festival for Young Visual Journalism.

Fatimah Hossaini, Afghan-Tehran born artist and photojournalist, curator, lecturer and social activist, currently living in exile in Paris, France.

Fatimah Hossaini is the youngest among ten first winners of the Hypatia international award which rewards commitment in the field of Research, Art and Professions. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Photography from University of Tehran after her first bachelor in Industrial engineering. She taught at the art Faculty of Kabul University from 2018 to 2019 and before that has been training aspiring female photographers in rural Afghanistan for different organizations. Fatimah Hossaini has for years worked and advocated for women and refugee rights on national and international platforms. She is the Founder of Mastooraat Art Organization (established in 2019), which is supporting female artists in Afghanistan, through scholarships, workshops and curating art exhibitions. Her own internationally recognized body of work tells powerful stories of identity and femininity in Afghanistan. It has been featured and displayed in group exhibitions and art festivals all over the globe. She also up to summer 2021 was a sought-after photo reporter for international media, covering daily life under Covid-19 in Afghanistan. Her work has been featured by BBC, Guardian, Aljazeera, Lensculture, TRT world, Bloomberg, Business Insider and Le' Figaro Magazine, just to name a few.

Elias Holzknecht, documentary photographer, Graz, Austria

Elias Holzknecht is a Tyrolean born documentary photographer and freelance photojournalist. He studied photojournalism and documentary photography at the University of Hannover as well as the KASK Ghent and is currently working on his finals. The focus of his work is on long-term photographic projects in the field of socio-cultural and socio-political topics. For several years now he has been working in this context on developments in his native country. His series "Schnee von morgen" about the loss of natural snow and what it means to a region dependent on winter tourism has been awarded with the prestigious VGH-Fotopreis-2020 as well as the PUNKT prize for technical journalism and photography. For a previous work called "Josef" about an old man living in hermitage he also received the public choice award by the newspaper HAZ at the LUMIX Festival Hannover in 2018. 

Rupert Larl, professional photographer, curator and gallery owner, Innsbruck, Austria.

Rupert Larl is amongst the most respected experts on documentary photography in Austria and has been judging contemporary photography in countless high profile award procedures. The Graduate of the "Graphische" in Vienna is a professional photographer himself, mostly in the fields of art, media, architecture and advertising. He has had his work shown in numerous personal and group exhibition participations. In 1989 he founded the gallery Fotoforum West in Innsbruck and has been its director and curator ever since. Always keen on sharing his expertise he is very active as a lecturer for Digital Imaging and Photography in several private institutions as well as the University of Innsbruck.

FAQs

Can I see some works of previous winners?
The award has been freshly created, therefore there are no previous winners. To get a better understanding of the intentions behind creating this award please have a look at the credentials of its organizers and the jury as well as the theme for this year.

What is the theme of this year's award?
This year the newly founded "Korridor - Innsbrucker Preis für Dokumentarfotografie" will focus on the living conditions of refugees within EU borders or its (political) outskirts. Works with a Solutions Journalism perspective (as defined by the Solutions Journalism Network) are also welcome, but this is not a condition.

What are the submission requirements? Submissions to the "Korridor - Innsbrucker Preis für Dokumentarfotografie" can only be made online via PICTER by creating an account and following the full submission process from 4 March (00:00 CET) until 25 April 2022 (23:59 CET). Only complete submissions will be accepted. This means at least one or up to two different projects with up to twelve images respectively, a brief description of each project and a short CV (maximum 2000 characters or PDF). Each photo submitted must be accompanied by a caption that is sufficient to convey the circumstances in which each photograph was taken, it must include the date created and geographical location. If there are staged or digitally enhanced elements within a project, please elaborate on what exactly was staged or digitally enhanced in the image description.

Can I submit video stills as part of the series?
Yes, you can submit video stills as a small part of up to twelve images per project. Make sure to explain that these are stills from a video in the series description. It's not possible to upload the video itself but you may provide a link in the description field.

Are diptychs allowed and how should I submit these?
Multiple-image compositions are possible, please treat each pair or set as its own file. Each one will then be judged as one image. A maximum of twelve such sets is allowed.

Can I submit more than one project?
Yes, it is possible to submit up to two projects with up to twelve images each.

What format should my images be in?
Images should be JPGs and at least 1500px on the long edge.

Must the applicant be located in the EU?
No, it is not a requirement. But if your location is outside of the EU the coverage of travel expenses (for the opening of your exhibition) might be limited to only a part of the costs, since the prize is organized by a not for profit medium on a tight budget.

Can a team of more than one applicant enter?
Yes, group efforts are also welcome, but please identify all members with their own credentials and CV and identify the different roles in creating the submitted work. We will later have to be able to attribute the correct copyright owner to every single image.

Can I submit using an artist name?
Yes, but you have to let us know your legal name as well.

Can I change or adjust my entry after I've submitted? Yes, via the "edit" button on https://app.picter.com/submitted. You can edit your entry until the contest deadline.

What will happen to my submitted work and data after the contest?
Please have a look at the terms and conditions to see how we will treat your work and data throughout the jury selection process and after. Rest assured that nothing will be communicated or published without the consent of the copyright owner.

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