The Roger Ballen Foundation invites contributions to its annual photography award. This year, we are pleased to announce that the winner will have the opportunity travel to Paris Photo, one of the world’s largest and most prestigious contemporary photography art fairs.

Are you a new photographer hoping to get exposed to some of the finest practitioners of your craft, in one of the world’s great art cities? The Roger Ballen Foundation Award encourages photographers, between the ages of 18 and 30, to make an unusual statement by asserting ground breaking vision. This is what founding photographer Roger Ballen has done in his four decades of photographic practice — and it is his belief that new talent, unafraid and audacious, deserves to be exposed to great international photographic exhibitions. The grand prize is a three day sponsored trip to Paris Photo 2016 including a return trip to Paris, three nights accommodation in the city, one three day pass to the exhibition as well as a daily stipend for the stay in Paris.

The out-of-the-ordinary requirement demands that entrants take into account the remarkable work done by Ballen in his artistic career. Images must go beyond pure documentary photography, they must display an ambiguity between documentary and fiction — and the composition must include an animal, just as Ballen has done in so many of his iconic photographs.

The Roger Ballen Foundation is dedicated to the development and advancement of photography in South Africa and supports programmes of the highest quality to further understanding and appreciation of the medium. The programme enables students and general audiences to engage with notable contemporary photographic art that may not be seen in South Africa.

Details for entry are online at rogerballen.org

About the Award

The Roger Ballen Photography Award is granted to a photographer whose work illustrates ground breaking vision. Roger Ballen’s work has pushed the boundaries of photography for the past 40 years. For this inaugural award applicants will be allowed to submit a minimum of 3 and a maximum of 5 digital images. Works will be selected based on the following criteria:

– Images which display an ambiguity between documentary and fiction.

– Images that go beyond pure documentary

– The use of an animal in some form utilized with in the composition

Judges will select finalists based on the technical and conceptual strength of the photographs.

Prize

Grand Prize – A three day sponsored trip to Paris Photo 2016 where the winner will have the opportunity to attend one of the world’s largest and most prestigious contemporary photography art fairs.

Prize includes:

Return flight to Paris – 3 nights accommodation in the city – One three day entry pass to Paris Photo 2016 – Daily stipend for the stay in Paris.

Copyright

– Roger Ballen Foundation reserves the right to reproduce selected works for inclusion in the catalogue, or for the promotion of the

competition, without monetary compensation to the entrants.

– All entries must be the original work of the participant and participants must exclusively own the copyright.

– The organizers regret that they cannot accept liability for the misuse of images and/or failure of any third party to credit photographs.

Deadline

Entry forms can be found on the Roger Ballen Foundation website at www.rogerballen.org

All entries must be received before 30 April 2016. No late entries will be accepted

Conditions of Entry

Entries

– Entrants are responsible for entering all the necessary documents online via www.rogerballen.org

– Online entries will be accepted commencing 15 September 2015

Terms and conditions

Entrants must:

– Have a valid South African identity document

– Must be between the ages of 18 -30 years

– Any entry that does not meet all requirements will not be considered.

Photographic medium, number of entries and production location of work allowed:

– Only black and white, digital images will be accepted

– Minimum of 3 and a maximum of 5 images may be submitted by each entrant

– Grey scale images – Maximum 300 dpi – Saved as a jpeg – File size maximum 1.2mb

– The organisers may request RAW and high-resolution images – If these are required. No borders, watermarks or signatures should

be included.

– Submitted photographs should have been shot after January 2012

– Only digital images will be accepted