Nominees of the Felix Schoeller Photo Award 2025 and the German Peace Prize for Photography Announced
The jury of the seventh international Felix Schoeller Photo Award (FSPA) and the fourth edition of the German Peace Prize for Photography has announced the nominees in the three categories
For the first time, Simone Klein, art advisor and independent sworn expert for photography from Cologne, has taken over the role of jury chair from long-standing chair and co-founder of the Felix Schoeller Photo Award, Michael Dannenmann. She was joined by art historian and curator Cathérine Hug from the Kunsthaus Zürich, Hannah Schuh, Visual Director of the art magazine ART, and Nils-Arne Kässens, Director of the Museumsquartier Osnabrück. Prof. Dr. Ulrich Schneckener, peace and conflict researcher at Osnabrück University, joined as an additional juror for the German Peace Prize for Photography.
From the 417 high-quality submissions admitted to the competition (a total of 627 entries from 88 countries), a shortlist of 69 works was compiled in the first round. From this, the jury selected the five best works in each of the two categories of the Felix Schoeller Photo Award and the German Peace Prize for Photography. The winners will be announced on 25 September 2025 during a festive awards ceremony in Osnabrück.
The nominations demonstrate how powerfully photography, as a visual medium, can address and interpret social issues. Simone Klein commented: “It is exciting to see that numerous works set new creative benchmarks, shaped by diverse cultural backgrounds, while also revealing internationally differing perspectives on the subject areas. In particular, the works of emerging photographers are characterised by a spirit of creative experimentation and the palpable personal commitment of many photographers in realising their ideas.”
All images of the nominees can now be viewed in the gallery on the website www.felix-schoeller-photoaward.com. The winners will be announced during the festive awards ceremony on 25 September 2025. Guest speaker for the German Peace Prize for Photography will be Ruprecht Polenz, former member of the German Bundestag, author, and since 2013 President of the German Association for East European Studies. Immediately following the awards ceremony, the exhibition at the Museumsquartier Osnabrück will open, showcasing the works of the winners and nominees until 22 February 2026.
The nominees of the Felix Schoeller Photo Award at a glance
FSPA, Category Sustainability:
Axel Javier Sulzbacher, Germany, Green Dystopie
Kai-Uwe Schulte-Bunert, Germany, PAY OFF
Sudip Maiti, India, Self-sustaining city
Ingmar Björn Nolting, Germany, Landscapes of Power
Mustafa Bilge Satkın, Turkey, In the Shadows of Noah
FSPA, Category Emerging Photographer:
Jan Kraus, Germany, In Uniform
Benedikt Burger, Germany, Konstrukt
Julius Schien, Germany, Rechtes Land
Viviana Almas, United Kingdom, Uncircuit
Verdiana Albano, Germany, I ain’t from no east coast
German Peace Prize for Photography:
Maximilian Mann, Germany, Letzte Rettung Oberhausen
Maryam Firuzi, Iran, In the shadows of silent women
Valentina Sinis, Italy, Were Afghan Women to Unveil Their Tales
Fabian Ritter, Germany, Youth of Ukraine
Silke Koch, Germany, Archive Of the Unseen
https://www.felix-schoeller-photoaward.com/en/nominierte2025
Contact:
Frank Meyer-Niehoff
Corporate Communications Manager
Felix Schoeller Holding GmbH & Co. KG
Burg Gretesch
49086 Osnabrück
Telefon: +49 (0)541 3800-347
