The Contest

Photostory 2012: Small Stories
Win a travelling exhibition and a book of your work made in collaboration with an acclaimed designer.

The Contest

The Viewbook Photostory is an international competition that focuses on the narrative aspects of the photographic art form. In 2009 and 2010, Photostory focused on the big picture. This year’s edition will concentrate on the theme “Small Stories.” That doesn’t mean we’re looking for thin, simplistic, or insignificant stories. The focus will be on photographic series with a personal view, or stories from a “small” or intimate perspective.

Of course, this theme is open to interpretation. We aren’t eschewing topics that deal with major world issues or news, but sometimes personal stories can tell us more about the big picture because they deal with situations that individuals can relate to. We are interested in what is happening to specific individuals under any given conditions. The theme is “Small Stories,” and it would be fantastic if you could show us work that is focused on the micro instead of the macro. Think small.

The Photostory site will showcase all submissions meeting the criteria. The submission process will be handled through the online Viewbook application. All photographers are eligible. The submitted series will be displayed in both website form and in an iPad app with beautiful slideshow presentations. The slideshows can be accompanied by captions to provide any pertinent information. Visitors will be able to give feedback as well as share series within their own network. Download the Submission guidelines PDF.

The Jury

inekesmits

Ineke Smits, Rotterdam, NL
Director, Script writer
www.stout-smits.nl

Thomas Dworzak/Magnum Photos

Thomas Dworzak, German, b. 1972
Photographer, Magnum Photos.
www.magnumphotos.com

Roberto Lopardo

Roberto Lopardo, Dubai, UAE
Artist, Teacher and Managing Director of Cuadro Gallery in Dubai, UAE.
www.cuadroart.com

Sam Barzilay

Erik Vroons
Writer, curator and chief editor, GUP Magazine
www.gupmagazine.com

Sam Barzilay

Sam Barzilay, NYC, USA
Independent curator and festival organizer
www.unitedphotoindustries.com

Photo credits: Portrait Thomas Dworzak © Thomas Dworzak.

Key dates
31 October 2012, submissions closed

The Prize
The winner will receive a personalized award in the form of a book publication, a travelling exhibition kit, and exposure on a variety of channels.

Publication
The winner’s series will be crafted into a book by a renowned photography book designer, and will be printed on a specialised press. The publication will provide a different perspective and a new way to interact with the work. This will give it a new quality that can only be experienced while handling a physical object. More detailed info on the book designer and production will be posted shortly.

exhibition

Travelling exhibition
The shippable exhibition serves both as both a book presentation kit, and as a presentation directly related to and derived from the photographic work. It can be flexible, and should take advantage of any media possible in such an installation. It could contain projection, audio, or other materials that support the series or add to the story. We have no fixed plans yet where the kit will travel, but the aim is to debut the exhibition within the network of the photographer. That means that it could be anywhere from a café in a small village, to a fair in a large metropolitan area.

Exposure
Publication in the Photostory iPad App (coming soon), publications in GUP Magazine and various other platforms.

Info and Downloads
Contact and press info: [email protected]
Viewbook Photostory on Facebook | Twitter
Download the Submission guidelines PDF