The Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize 2025 has revealed its four international shortlisted artists as Cristina De Middel, Rahim Fortune, Tarrah Krajnak, and Lindokuhle Sobekwa.
The Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation is a non-profit organization, based in Frankfurt, Germany, dedicated to exhibiting and promoting the very best in contemporary photography. The prize was founded in 1996 by The Photographers' Gallery, launching many now-renowned photographers careers such as Samuel Fosso, Deana Lawson, Cao Fei, and Rineke Dijkstra.
The prize recognizes and awards artists for projects that have 'made a significant contribution to photography' over the past 12 months. The shortlisted artists this year, span the genres of documentary photography, constructed images, self-portraiture, performance pieces, and photographs from family archives.
This shortlist of powerful projects touches on themes of 'migration, community and belonging, intergenerational traditions and rituals, family memories, and photographic histories', resulting in some of the most influential photography to be showcased in Europe this year.
Spanish documentary photographer and Magnum Photos member Cristina De Middel is shortlisted for her exhibition titled Journey to the Center which was on display at Les Rencontres De La Photographie in Arles, France, earlier this year.
The project spins the narrative of the Central American migration route across Mexico as a 'heroic and daring journey rather than a desperate escape'. The project captures the hope and humanity in a subject that is often shown to have none.
American photographer Rahim Fortune has been shortlisted for his knockout book Hardtack, published by Loose Joints. Hardtack features striking portraits and documentary captures of coming-of-age traditions in Black culture in the American South.
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Tarrah Krajnak is the third to be shortlisted. The Peruvian-American is shortlisted for her exhibitionShadowings. A Catalogue of Attitudes for Estranged Daughters where she uses a blend of self-portraiture and performance to immerse the viewer in the photographic process.
The fourth to make the shortlist is another Magnum photographer Lindokuhle Sobekwa, for his book I Carry Her Photo with Me, published by Mack Books.
This book contemporary photographs, family archives, and handwritten notes as a way for Sobekwa to engage both with the memory of his sister, her decade-long disappearance, and the wider implications of similar cases that remain a troubling part of South Africa’s history.
Director of the Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Anne-Marie Beckmann states, "This year's shortlisted artists and their projects show the versatility of contemporary photography. Through a mix of photobooks and exhibitions, these international artists have an individual take on conveying deeply personal yet universal narratives. Their work powerfully demonstrates the importance of telling stories through images. Many congratulations to them all!"
The winner will collect the grand prize of £30,000 (around $39,000) and be announced at an award ceremony at The Photographers’ Gallery on 15 May 2025, with the other finalists each receiving £5,000 (around $6,500).
All of the shortlisted artist's work will go on display at The Photographers’ Gallery in London from 7 March to 15 June 2025.
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Kalum is a professional photographer with over a decade of experience, also working as a photo editor and photography writer. Specializing in photography and art books, Kalum has a keen interest in the stories behind the images and often interviews contemporary photographers to gain insights into their practices. With a deep passion for both contemporary and classic photography, Kalum brings this love of the medium to all aspects of his work.
