After the success of last year, the OD Photo Prize returns for its second edition. This prize is an exciting open call for emerging artists working within the first ten years of their practice, founded by Open Doors Gallery. For many years, OD has discovered and showcased artists working across all genres of contemporary photography. This prize is an extension of that philosophy, which looks to nurture long-term relationships with artists globally.

The finalists will participate in a winter group exhibition with Open Doors Gallery in London to celebrate their talent and work. Selected finalists are also eligible for a variety of prizes chosen by our panel of influential experts in the field of photography.

Building Momentum

“When I received the OD Photo Prize in 2021, my project Teetering like a September myth was still in its infancy, with only a handful of close friends even knowing that it existed. The support I received from Tom and Steve in the following months would be instrumental to my completing the work and releasing it as a book the following year. As an emerging artist still finding my feet in many ways, the OD Photo Prize and exhibition have been really important entry-points into showing my work publicly and I’ll forever hold this experience as a pivotal point in the early stage of my career.”

-Angus Scott, Winner of OD Photo Prize 2021

Over the past year, OD Photo Prize artists have continued to nurture their practices and careers. We’re proud to report that Angus Scott (Grand Prize Winner), recently published his debut monograph, ‘Teetering like a September myth’ with Photo Collective, and K Young (Runner-Up), who fascinated us with their intricate collages, recently exhibited alongside Max Miechowski and Kenuske Koike, at Photo London with Open Doors Gallery.

Elsewhere, we’re excited to see Marisol Mendez’s ‘MADRE’ (Juror’s Choice Award) included in the group show, ‘Dangerous Bodies’ (Kers Gallery), curated by Marina Paulenka, and Ioanna Sakellaraki’s (Juror’s Choice Award) ‘The Truth is in the Soil’ published by GOST Books. While closer to home, we’re continuing to support OD Photo Prize artists directly, including Allan Salas (Shortlisted), Valeria Arendar (Juror’s Choice Award), Cecilia Bonilla (Juror’s Choice Award) and Elliott Verdier (Runner-up) in our Artsy Online Group Show, ‘Ones to Watch 2022’.

What Finalists Receive

Artists selected for OD Photo Prize 2022 will receive the following support and opportunities:

• Having their work produced for a group exhibition hosted by Open Doors Gallery in London, November, 2022
• An exhibition alongside established artists from the Open Doors Gallery roster
• Exhibition exposure to a substantial number of visual arts professionals and the media
• Inclusion in the gallery website announcement and mailing lists
• Their projects viewed and considered by our panel of leading industry experts
• Their work shared with our 90,000+ social media following
• Inclusion in an ongoing community and support network facilitated by Open Doors Gallery

In addition, the Jurors in consultation with Open Doors Gallery will award the following prizes:

Grand Prize:

• £1,500 prize
• Includes £500 cash prize supported by Open Doors Gallery
• Includes £500 print credit supported by Metro Imaging
• Includes £500 credit supported by MPB
• Mentorship through Open Doors Gallery

2 x Runners-Up:

• Mentorship through Open Doors Gallery

Metro Imaging Mentorship Award:

• Tailored mentorship programme designed to support the awarded artist through any aspect of their career development which they deem vital
• A unique opportunity to gain ongoing 1:1 advice and guidance from Professor Steve Macleod, Creative Director at Metro Imaging, to help nurture and expand their practice

Juror's Choice Award:

• Spotlight by an individual Juror in recognition of the strength of an artist’s work
• A dedicated text by their respective Juror published on our website

About Open Doors Gallery

Founded in 2017, Open Doors Gallery is a global platform for contemporary photographic artists. The gallery aims to give the world's best emerging talent an opportunity to reach new audiences, and works with a broad range of artists.

As well as representing the developing careers of several award winning photographic artists, Open Doors believes in making art accessible, affordable and collectable. We aim to surprise people by challenging what they believe photographic art to be whilst also respecting more traditional photographic methods.

Open Doors has a strong presence online (@odtakeovers & @odprintsales) choosing to showcase a wide variety of styles from within and beyond our family of represented artists. We work towards broadening people's understanding of the medium. Whilst the digital side is important, we also believe wholeheartedly in the value of seeing and experiencing artworks up close through our programme of exhibitions, art fairs and publications that we produce throughout the year.

How to Enter

• Only 6-15 images per entrant is permitted. You can only submit once
• To support an unbiased and anonymous judging process, please do not include your name or existing accolades in your project or artwork statements
• Follow the entry requirements specified below
• Complete £12 entry payment via Picter

Judging Criteria

OD Photo Prize 2022 is an open theme. We greatly encourage submission from artists working across all forms of photographic art: this includes, but is not limited to, storytelling, narrative, social documentary, construction, archival, conceptual or theoretical practices. Submissions must be photographic or lens-based but can incorporate other art forms (i.e. performance, collage, painting, sculpture, music, literature etc), and may result in unique artworks.

The final selection of artists from the open call will be made in collaboration between the Jury and Open Doors Gallery. There will be 9 selected artists participating in OD Photo Prize 2022.

Successful entrants will be notified by email in mid-October 2022 with information regarding the following steps towards publication and exhibition. A list of selected applicants and awardees will be published on Open Doors Gallery’s social media channels and website. The decision on successful entrants is final.

Tim Clark
Director of 1000 Words Magazine, editor & curator

Tim Clark is Editor in Chief of 1000 Words and Artistic Director for Fotografia Europea in Reggio Emilia, Italy, together with Walter Guadagnini, Director of CAMERA, Torino. He is also serving as curatorial advisor for the Discovery section of Photo London 2022 and 2023. Clark has previously been involved in a wide range of projects: adjunct curator on Masculinities: Liberation through Photography (2020-22) at the Barbican Centre London, an exhibition travelling to Gropius-Bau, Berlin, Les Rencontres d’Arles and FOMU Antwerp; guest curator at the Ci.CLO Bienal 2021 with the exhibition titled The Horizon is Moving Nearer for the Portuguese Center of Photography, Porto; co-curator of Mutable: Multiple, Derby QUAD, FORMAT International Photography Festival; guest curator of London Art Fair’s Photo50 section with Who’s looking at the family, now?; and curator of Max Pinckers: Margins of Excess, Lishui Art Museum, China (all 2019).

Prior to this, Clark held posts as Artistic Director of Photo Oxford 2017, together with Greg Hobson; and while Associate Curator at Media Space, Science Museum, London, he organised Julia Margaret Cameron: Influence and Intimacy (2015) and Gathered Leaves: Photographs by Alec Soth (2015–18). Curator Conversations, an edited anthology of interviews with prominent international photography curators working today, was released in 2021. He is currently a lecturer on BA Photography at The Institute of Photography, Falmouth University, and associate lecturer on MA Photography & Visual Design at Nuova Accademia di Belle Arti (NABA) Milano

Cécile Poimboeuf-Koizumi
Publisher, Chose Commune

Cécile Poimboeuf-Koizumi is a French/Japanese publisher, co-founder and director of Marseille based independent publishing house Chose Commune, making carefully curated and crafted books in the fields of photography and works on paper. Cécile Poimboeuf-Koizumi is also the founder of aato, a new ceramics gallery in Marseille.

Professor Steven Macleod
Creative Director, Metro Imaging

Professor Steven Macleod is an award winning Creative Director and artist and has been at the forefront of photographic imaging for thirty years, collaborating with a vast network of clients he has also developed several innovative photographic printing practices. He is a Director at Metro Imaging. The company is one of Europe’s leading imaging companies with a global reach offering a comprehensive solution for exhibition and collecting markets. He is a practicing artist, represented by Black Box Projects. He regularly exhibits and his works are held in both private and public institutions. He is also a commissioned artist for the Hospital Rooms Arts mental health charity. Steve is a Visiting Professor at the University of Suffolk; Trustee and Deputy Chair of QEST and E E at RGU Aberdeen. He runs an established mentorship programme and is a regular judge on international panels.

Bill Shapiro
ex-Editor-in-Chief at LIFE Magazine, writer

Bill Shapiro is the former Editor-in-Chief of LIFE magazine; he was also the founding Editor-in-Chief of LIFE.com, which won the 2011 National Magazine Award for digital photography. Bill is the author of several books, among them 2018's What We Keep, and Gus & Me, the best-selling children’s book he co-wrote with Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards. He is a contributing editor to Leica Conversations, edits photo books, and writes about photography for the New York Times Magazine, the Atlantic, Vogue, Esquire, Oprah Daily, the Los Angeles Times, among others. He curates the weekly Meet This Photographer series on his Instagram feed (@billshapiro) every Friday on Instagram.

Bindi Vora
Curator at Autograph Gallery, artist, lecturer

Bindi Vora is British-Indian artist working with expanded photography, visiting lecturer at University of Westminster and Curator at Autograph a London-based non-profit arts charity that explores issues of identity, representation, human rights and social justice through photography. Since joining Autograph she has curated Poulomi Basu: Fireflies (2022), co-curated Care I Contagion I Community ­– Self & Other (2021-2022); Lola Flash: surpassing and Maxine Walker: Untitled (both 2019) and contributed to a series of in-conversations with multidisciplinary artists include Mónica Alcázar-Duarte, Poulomi Basu, Maryam Wahid, Tobi Alexandra Falade, David Uzochukwu amongst others. She has also independently curated Poulomi Basu: Centralia for Recontres d’Arles – Louis Roederer Discovery Award (2020); Let’s Go Through This Again (Portland Works, Sheffield 2018)

As an artist her works have been exhibited at The Photographers’ Gallery (UK); Yinka Shonibare’s Guest Projects (UK); 180 The Strand (UK); Victoria & Albert Museum of Childhood (UK); Phoenix Gallery (UK); Cultural Centre of Belgrade (RS); Benaki Museum (GR); Art Stage, (SG); amongst others. Her works are part of collections including the Franklin Furnace Artist Book Collection / MoMA (US), Guy’s & St Thomas Foundation (UK), The Hyman Collection (UK); Imperial Health Charity (UK), Self-Publish Be Happy at Maison Européenne de la Photographie (FR), The Women’s Art Library at Goldsmith’s University (UK), amongst others.

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