Aperture Portfolio Prize 2009

Aperture Foundation hosts the third year of this international photography competition. The purpose of the Aperture Portfolio Prize is to identify trends in contemporary photography and specific artists whom the foundation can help by bringing them to a wide audience.

First prize is $2,500. The first-prize winner and three runners-up will be featured on Aperture's website for approximately one year and announced in Aperture's e-newsletter. All entrants will be contacted by November 1, 2009, with final decisions made by December 1, 2009.

Entrants must be current, paid subscribers of Aperture magazine. The $25 entry fee is payable by credit card during the online entry process. Submissions must include fifteen images with title/caption information (duplicate images may be used if fewer than fifteen are available), a resume/CV as a Word file or PDF, and a statement of up to 250 words (or up to 2,000 characters) about the work, including relevant technical information such as original format and size. Submissions should come directly from artists, not from galleries or representatives. Artists may submit up to two separate portfolios of 15 images each, with a separate CaFE registration profile and $25 entry fee required for each submission.

Judging criteria include whether the work is new (created in the last five years), whether a theme or topic is carried throughout the portfolio in a consistent manner, the strength of individual images in composition and use of color or tone, the appropriateness of technical and presentation choices, and whether the body of work takes an innovative or unique approach to the subject matter.