Jury nominates 30 photographers for Felix Schoeller Photo Award 2019
Gallery of nominated works now online - Award ceremony with exhibition on 19 October 2019
The jury of the international Felix Schoeller Photo Award for Professional Photographers has decided on the five nominees in each of the five categories as well as on the Young Talent Award. "The shortlist for all categories to date has included 192 solely high-class works from 43 countries. In many cases it was the smallest nuances that ultimately decided the nomination," reports Michael Dannenmann, chairman of the six-member jury. The winners of the coveted international competition for professional photographers and the Young Talent Award will be announced at the award ceremony on 19 October 2019 in the Museumsquartier (MQ4) Osnabrück. One day later, the city of Osnabrück will open the exhibition "Winners & Nominees" at the same location. The gallery with the high-class works of all nominees can be viewed online at www.felix-schoeller-photoaward.com since 9 September 2019.
Photo caption: The jury of this year's Felix Schoeller Photo Award: v.l. Clare Freestone (curator of photography exhibitions at the National Portrait Gallery, London), Clara Maria Sels (gallery owner and director of the Dusseldorf Photo Weekend), Andrea Vollmer-Hess (photo editor of Vogue Germany), jury chairman Michael Dannenmann (portrait photographer, DGPh *), Gérard A. Goodrow (freelance curator and author, lecturer at the CIAM - Center for International Arts Management in Cologne and Düsseldorf), Julia Sörgel (head of photo editorial department of the magazine ICON).
The jury of the Felix Schoeller Photo Award had already selected this shortlist of 190 works in an online evaluation of approximately 2,000 approved entries. In addition to jury chairman Michael Dannenmann (portrait photographer, DGPh*), the six-member jury this time included Julia Sörgel (photo editor-in-chiefat ICON magazine), Clare Freestone (curator for photo exhibitions at the National Portrait Gallery, London), Clara Maria Sels (gallery owner and head of the Düsseldorf Photo Weekend) and Gérard A. Goodrow (freelance curator and author, lecturer at CIAM - Centre for International Art Management in Cologne and Düsseldorf) as well as the photo editor of Vogue Germany, Andrea Vollmer-Hess.
In the jury meeting, the aim was to examine the shortlist works in the five categories, in the special category of the Young Talent Award, and, following, to define the five nominees in each category. For the first time, the Fashion Photography category is a part of the competition.
In contrast to the online evaluation, the jurors now had high-quality A3 prints available for review. A total of almost 900 motifs had to be assessed, as each entrant had to submit at least three to a maximum of five motifs per work. Nine hours later, the marathon was over, and after intensive discussions, unanimous results were reached.
The jury drew a positive conclusion from this year's submissions. The high artistic and photographic level was again achieved – also in the first edition of the category Fashion Photography. "We can state that many former participants also submitted works in 2019. This is a confirmation and recognition of the competition, which I am personally delighted about," said Jury Chairman Dannenmann. "At the same time, the number of submission countries was once again significantly higher: photographers from 113 countries submitted their work, while in 2017 there were only 92 countries.”
From 20 October 2019 until 8 March 2020, all works by the winners and nominees are at display in the exhibition "Winners & Nominees – Felix Schoeller Photo Award 2019" in the Museumsquartier (MQ4) Osnabrück. Printed in high quality on Felix Schoeller photo paper and presented on formats up to 100 x 120 cm. "We wish that as many visitors as last time see the exhibition, and for them to experience the state of international contemporary photography", says Dr. Friederike Texter, Senior Vice President Corporate Communication of the Felix Schoeller Group.
*German Society for Photography e.V.
