Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation and German Photographic Society award prizes for academic writing on photography

The Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation and the German Photographic Society (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Photographie, DGPh) have jointly awarded their two prizes for research and journalism in the field of photography. The awards recognise contributions that enrich and promote the academic dialogue on the medium of photography.

DGPh Research Award “Thinking Photography”

Dzifa Peters receives the research award “Thinking Photography” for her dissertation “Tropes of Polarity: Visual Representation and Afrodiasporic Identities”. In it, Peters explores how colonial, postcolonial and Afrodiasporic identities are represented and shaped by contemporary photography. She pays particular attention to the medium's role in preserving memory, determining belonging and communicating different cultural perspectives and identities. Dzifa Peters is a visual artist, a postdoctoral fellow at the Cados Católica Doctoral School, and a junior researcher at the Research Centre for Communication and Culture, both at the Universidade Católica Portuguesa in Portugal. The research award “Thinking Photography” is endowed with €3,000 and honours publications from the field of photographic theory and history that expand the topic area with important approaches from the humanities, cultural studies and social sciences.

The jury explained its selection as follows: “With this inspiring study, Dzifa Peters presents an academically outstanding work that addresses a current issue. In it, she uses different photographic positions and art-based research to explore changes in cultural identity through photography, focusing specifically on the context of West Africa and its diaspora in Europe. In doing so, she not only makes an important contribution to photographic research, but also provides a linguistically accentuated, differentiated and extremely well-founded text. We were particularly impressed by the skilful inclusion of her own artistic practice.”

DGPh Award for Innovative Publication “Writing Photography”

The “Writing Photography” award goes to Esther Gabrielle Kersley for her commentary “The hooded man at the computer: What are cyber images telling us?”, published as part of the European Leadership Network (ELN). Considering the growing importance of new technologies in all areas of life, Kersley examines images that are intended to illustrate abstract topics such as cybersecurity and artificial intelligence. She focuses on visuals that often depict anonymised figures in front of screens or abstract streams of data, and sheds light on the messages they convey. In doing so, Kersley explores how these images can influence the discussion of the potential risks and challenges of new technologies and shape perceptions of digital developments. Esther Gabrielle Kersley is a London-based photographer and artist. As an award for innovative publication, “Writing Photography” honours written formats such as essays, blog posts or columns that combine text and photographic material in a creative way. The prize is endowed with €1,000.

In its statement, the jury writes: “Our current visual world has undergone rapid and constant change in recent years. This has had a profound impact on the way we use and understand photography. Based on interviews with cybersecurity experts, Esther Gabrielle Kersley's awarded illustrated commentary not only reveals the hurdles involved in visualising new technologies, but also explores how such images influence our perceptions of the risks and opportunities of the digital world. The format and content, as well as the communication of photographic and image-theoretical considerations to a non-specialist audience, were compelling and timely.”

The jury

The winners of the two prizes are selected every other year by a changing, international jury. This year's jury members are: Dr. Charlotte Bruns, Postdoctoral Researcher and Lecturer, Eramus University Rotterdam, winner of “Thinking Photography” 2022; Alexandra König, Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation; Nela Eggenberger, Editor-in-Chief and Artistic Director, EIKON – International Journal of Photography and Media Art; and Miriam Zlobinski, Member of the Board of the History and Archives Section, DGPh.

Both prizes will be presented to the winners at a public event, where they will introduce their publications and discuss them with the jury members. More information will follow.

Notes for editors:

A selection of press images for the awarded publications can be found here. We will be happy to send you images in print quality upon request.

Media contacts: 

Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation
Isabelle Hammer
media.foundation@deutsche-boerse.com
Tel. +49 69 21114060 

German Photographic Society (DGPh)
Regina Plaar
Public Relations
regina.plaar@dgph.de
Tel. +49 221 9232069

About the Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation

The Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation is a non-profit organisation based in Frankfurt/ Main, Germany, dedicated to collecting, exhibiting and promoting contemporary photography. The Foundation is responsible for the development and presentation of the Art Collection Deutsche Börse, which now comprises over 2,400 photographic works by around 170 artists from 38 nations. The Foundation shows several public exhibitions a year in its exhibition space in Eschborn near Frankfurt am Main. It supports young artists through awards, scholarships or the annual talent programme of the Fotografiemuseum Amsterdam Foam. Together with the Photographers' Gallery in London, it awards the renowned Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize every year. The Foundation also works on exhibitions with international museums and institutions, as well as creating platforms for academic dialogue and research on photography. 
www.deutscheboersephotographyfoundation.org/en

About the German Photographic Society 
(Deutsche Gesellschaft für Photographie, DGPh)

The German Photographic Society (DGPh) is a registered association with around 1,100 members throughout Germany and is based in Cologne. DGPh works to promote and examine the interests of photography and related imaging media in cultural contexts. Its activities are focused on the various fields of application of photography in art, science, education, publishing, the economic and political realm as well as their links and interactions. As the central authority for communicating ground-breaking achievements in the field of photography to the public, it also awards prizes and scholarships. 
www.dgph.de