In September, the traditional Czech Press Photo documentary photography competition will open to photographers. Belgian photographer Nick Hannes, who recently received the World Press Photo award for his reportage from Egypt, where a new government district or capital is being built 60 kilometers from Cairo, will be part of the international jury. This project of a modern sustainable city has sparked significant criticism, as the funds invested in its construction should rather be directed towards improving living conditions in neglected parts of Cairo and towards social housing. The project has controversial funding from investors in China and the Emirates.
Intro photo: Vladimír Rys
The expert jury will consist of: Chairman of the jury - Chief Editor of the ČTK Photo Bank Petr Mlch, Czech documentary photographer Dana Kyndrová, reportage photographer of the EPA agency Filip Singer, Director of Panos Pictures Adrian Evans from Great Britain, and Belgian photographer Nick Hannes from Panos Pictures. The international jury will evaluate the submitted photographs from October 12th to 14th at the Czech Photo Centre gallery.
The 29th edition of the Czech Press Photo competition will feature the announcement of eight photographic categories: News, Reportage, Everyday Life, Art and Culture, Sports, Portrait, People and the Environment, and People in the News. The competition will also include the annual creative grant "Grant Prahy," personally selected by the Mayor of Prague.
"Last year's edition was full of very powerful photographs, not only from the war in Ukraine, which was also reflected in the high attendance of the Czech Press Photo exhibition at the National Museum. I'm confident that this year's edition will be similarly high-quality," says competition manager Dan Materna.
Simultaneously with the main competition, the Czech Photo Junior contest will take place for young photographers. This contest is open to elementary school students and high school students. The competition will be divided into three age categories: younger elementary students, older elementary students, and high school students. Young photographers can submit their photos for the contest until the deadline of September 30, 2023, through the CEWE system. The evaluation of the best photos will take place alongside the professional Czech Press Photo competition.
Photographs can be submitted to the Czech Press Photo 2023 competition from September 1st to September 30th, exclusively through an electronic form provided on the competition's website. The competition is open to publishers, agencies, professional photographers, photography schools, established freelance photographers, residing in the Czech Republic or Slovakia, whose work is intended for publication in the media. All authors must comply with the competition rules. The entry fee for submitting a photograph to a category is 1000 CZK / 39 EUR, and those under 23 years of age are exempt from the fee.
Traditional partner awards will not be missing, including the Canon Junior Award for young talents, the ČTK Award, a grant for young authors under 26 years of age, the UNHCR Award presenting photographs documenting the lives of refugees, the PICTOART Award accompanying the Grant Prahy and intended for printing and adjusting photographs, the Good Will Committee - Olga Havlová Foundation Award "My Life with a Disability" to be received by an author who captures the specific conditions of the lives of individuals with sensory, mobility, or mental disabilities, or people threatened by social exclusion, and the Samsung Award presented within the categories of Portrait, Art and Culture, or Sports.
The Czech Photo, o.p.s., organizes the Czech Press Photo 2023 competition and exhibition under the auspices of the President of the Republic, the Mayor of Prague, and the Minister of Culture.
General Partner: Trigema
Exhibition Co-Organizer: National Museum
Partners: Koupelny Ptáček, CeWe, eContest, Siko, Renomia, Berlitz, Pictoart, Canon, Eizo, Samsung, Laufen, Nielsen, Soliter, Newton Media, VDV, UNHCR, Faculty of Social Sciences at Charles University, APF, and UAPP
Main Media Partner: Český rozhlas 1 – Radiožurnál
Media Partners: ČTK, Reflex, Mafra, a. s., Rádio DAB, Prima ZOOM, Lidé a Země
Press release downloadable in format .PDF