The international photography contest URBAN Photo Awards is here: registrations will open on Monday 1st April and this 15th edition will be the largest and most important ever.

URBAN Photo Awards is the most prestigious international photography competition in Italy, dedicated to celebrating urban photography as a form of art. The contest, which welcomes world-famous photographers as judges and special guests every year, serves as a promotional stage to give visibility to talents from all over the world. URBAN Photo Awards 2024 will culminate at Trieste Photo Days, one of Europe’s most important international photography festivals, set in the vibrant coastal city of Trieste, in the heart of Europe, where cultural events and artists from across the continent converge.

This year’s jury (still being finalized) features internationally renowned Magnum photographer Harry Gruyaert as jury president, alongside industry experts such as Adam Pretty, master of photographic planning and design.

The judges will choose the winners of the various categories amongst the thousands of participants worldwide, with the Awards ceremonies taking place during Trieste Photo Days 2024, offering a prestigious platform of recognition for their work.

The contest’s overall theme is Urban Life and focuses on urban photography as a form of expression that explores the contemporary, in all its complexities and nuances. We are interested in all forms of photography set in a city context, where the city itself, the urban environment and the people who populate it are the driving forces behind the photographic narrative.

There are many prizes up for grabs not only for the winners, but also for honorable mentions, second places and remarkable rewards. Among the participants in the four categories that make up the Single Photos section, an overall winner will be selected and will be awarded with the title of Photographer of the Year 2024 and with our most prestigious awards (being defined, for reference, see awards of ‘Last year).

Like every year, in addition to the Single Pictures section, there will be several other sections in which photographers will be able to participate, depending on the style that best represents them and the nature of their project. Among these we find: Projects & Portfolios, Book & Zine Award and URBAN Photo Arena.

The “Projects & Portfolios” section is aimed at professional or amateur photographers who wish to submit a series of images on a single theme, creating a well-structured photographic project with a coherent visual narrative. Portfolios should highlight the photographer’s ability to tell a story through a sequence of images, with each adding value and importance whilst integrating seamlessly with the others.

The “Book & Zine Award” section will choose an unpublished photo book and an unpublished zine that have urban life as their main theme. The goal of this category is to enhance books and zines as mediums for photography as a storytelling tool, as they allow a broader, more comprehensive overview and understanding of a project than a single image. The winners of this category will see their projects published and presented at the 2024 Trieste Photo Days.

The URBAN Photo Arena section is a special invitation for young photographers under 35. This year, we aim to showcase the talent and creativity of young artists by offering them a dedicated platform with no participation fee. With this initiative, we want to celebrate the unique vision of young talents in the world of urban photography, providing them with the opportunity to engage with dynamic photographic challenges. Participants will have the chance to win special prizes for the most impressive works as well as fantastic opportunities for networking, making this the perfect platform to gain international exposure and visibility.

Another important prize is the URBAN Press Award, this year at its second edition, which will be awarded to a photographer chosen from the “Projects & Portfolios” section. The winner will have the opportunity to be published by the best press in the field, such as Cuartoscuro (Mexico), Il Fotografo (Italy), OPENEYE (France), BetterPhotography (India) and Tagree (Germany), thus receiving international recognition, branding opportunities and promotion.

Photographers participating in URBAN Photo Award 2024 also automatically compete for the Best Author award of the Trieste Photo Days photography festival. The prize will be awarded to photographers who have participated in both the 15th edition of the contest and in the photographic and editorial projects (most of which are free) of URBAN’s partner Exhibit Around and who have distinguished themselves for their photographic quality. More information on the TPD Best Author award on this page of the official website of Trieste Photo Days.

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