Exhibition in London 2025|International Press Exposure|Cash grants

Emerging Talent Photography Awards 2024

We’re looking for 25 creative photographers who are ready to shape the future of contemporary photography. Since our inception, LensCulture has searched the globe for early-career image-makers who represent the vital creative force of our medium.

We’re looking for authentic voices and innovative approaches, whether you’re exploring new narratives, experimenting with form, or reimagining traditional genres. This is your chance to step into the international spotlight and join a worldwide community dedicated to elevating the art of photography.

There are no limits on age or genre—only the power of your creative vision matters. Gather your most compelling work and share it with us. Amplify your unique contribution to the photographic arts and kickstart your career in international markets.

Photos in video above © Louis Lee, Taewook Noh, Jonathan Jasberg, Ellie Davies, Sabrina Komár
Photography Competition 2024, Emerging Talent Photography 2024 Awards.
© Gavin Bragdon
Meet the International Critics
Jury – Emerging Talent Photography Awards 2024
Sophie Parker
Director
Photo London
United Kingdom

Sophie Parker has over ten years’ experience in the art world curating and organizing exhibitions, events and workshops, ranging in a variety of subjects from fine art, photography and performance art to history and politics. Sophie joined Photo London in 2018 as the Gallery Development Manager and was appointed Associate Director in 2021. Prior to Photo London, Sophie worked at Cristea Roberts gallery, RA Magazine, and Lewisham Local History Society.

Sophie has a Masters degree in Anthropology and Cultural Politics from Goldsmiths, University of London and a BA Hons in History of Art and Design from Manchester Metropolitan University. She currently sits on the Advisory Board for The Ian Parry Photojournalism Grant.

Jury – Emerging Talent Photography Awards 2024
Noa Lin
Assistant Editor
Aperture
United States

Noa Lin is assistant editor at Aperture, where he works in the book program. He has helped edit numerous photobooks, most recently, I’m So Happy You Are Here: Japanese Women Photographers from the 1950s to Now, Paul Sepuya: Dark Room A–Z, and Arielle Bobb-Willis: Keep the Kid Alive. He is a regular contributor to The PhotoBook Review in Aperture magazine. Before joining Aperture in 2022, he was an editorial assistant at Melcher Media. Noa holds a BA in studio art and English from Wesleyan University, Middletown, Connecticut.

Jury – Emerging Talent Photography Awards 2024
Dr. Rebecca Swift
Senior Vice President, Creative
Getty Images
United Kingdom

Dr. Rebecca Swift, Senior Vice President, Creative, leads content creation used in award‑winning advertising, design and editorial around the world. Working closely with creators and art creators globally, Rebecca plays a critical role in ensuring that Getty Images is continually evolving and provides fresh relevant content, which in turn engages and inspires communicators around the globe.

With over 20 years of experience in the photography industry, Rebecca was one of the founding members of the creative research team at Getty Images, introducing and steering visual research methodology within the industry.

Rebecca is passionate about the importance of diversity and inclusion in front of and behind the lens, and is particularly interested in evolving visual representation of women. She is the lead on the #ShowUs partnership with Dove that has won over 40 international creative awards including a Glass Lion and two Effies.

Rebecca enjoys sharing the Creative Insights team’s research at industry events as well as working with academic researchers and lectures around the world. Rebecca has been recognized as one of AdAge’s “20 Women to Watch” and is a Campaign magazine’s Female Frontier honouree as well as being awarded the “Most Influential Leader in UK Visual Media”.

Rebecca has a PhD in Photography.

Jury – Emerging Talent Photography Awards 2024
Bindi Vora
Curator
Autograph
United Kingdom

Bindi Vora is an interdisciplinary photographic artist of Kenyan-Indian heritage, Associate Lecturer at London College of Communication and Curator at Autograph, a London-based non-profit arts charity that explores issues of identity, representation, human rights and social justice through photography. Since joining Autograph, she has curated Hélène Amouzou: Voyages (2023) Eric Gyamfi: Fixing Shadows – Julius and I (2023), Poulomi Basu: Fireflies (2022), co-curated Sasha Huber: You Name It (2022) Care I Contagion I Community – Self & Other (2021-2022); Lola Flash: [sur]passing and Maxine Walker: Untitled (both 2019); published a series artist conversations with Sasha Huber, Mónica Alcázar-Duarte, Maryam Wahid, Tobi Alexandra Falade, David Uzochukwu amongst others. She has independently curated Poulomi Basu: Centralia for Rencontres d’Arles – Louis Roederer Discovery Award (2020); Let’s Go Through This Again (2018); her writing has appeared in publications by Maryam Wahid Zaibuinnisa (MAC, 2022); Another Country: British Documentary Photography Since 1945 (Thames & Hudson); FOAM and British Journal of Photography, participating in public programmes for Tate, GRAIN Photo Hub, The Photographers’ Gallery, The Paul Mellon Centre amongst others. She is currently an artist-in-residence at the National Museums NI (Ulster Museum) as part of the 20/20 project, led by the UAL Decolonising Arts Institute.

Jury – Emerging Talent Photography Awards 2024
Jehan Jillani
Visuals Director
The Atlantic
United States

Jehan is currently the visuals director at The Atlantic where she oversees photography and art for the publication’s daily stories, digital features and special projects.

Before joining The Atlantic, Jehan was the picture and visuals editor at the Guardian US. She has also worked as a photo editor at National Geographic, where she contributed to the publication’s environment coverage, and she began her career as a digital photo editor at The New Yorker.

Jehan loves discovering, developing and championing new work — she does portfolio reviews throughout the year and has been on the jury for the Catchlight Global Fellowship, the Overseas Press Club Awards and the Alexia Grant, among others. She has spoken about her work at Columbia University, Smith College and Massachusetts College of Art, and she is on the Professional Advisory Board for the Smith College Journalism concentration.

Born and raised in Islamabad, Pakistan, Jehan graduated from Smith College with a degree in Studio Art and Government.

Jury – Emerging Talent Photography Awards 2024
Claartje Van Dijk
Senior Curator
FOAM
The Netherlands

Claartje van Dijk is Senior Curator at Foam Photography Museum in Amsterdam, where she has curated several notable exhibitions, including Felipe Romero Beltrán - Dialect (2024), Ara Guler - A Play of Light and Shadow (2023), and Mous Lamrabat - Blessings from Mousganistan (2022), among others. Before her current role, Claartje served as Assistant Curator of Collections at the International Center of Photography (ICP) in New York. There, she curated a range of exhibitions, including Elliott Erwitt: Pittsburgh (2018) and Your Mirror: Portraits from the ICP Collection (2019). Claartje has served as a juror for several prestigious awards, including The Lucie Foundation, the BJP International Photography Award, and Prix Pictet.

Jury – Emerging Talent Photography Awards 2024
Erin Hoyt
Executive Director
Filter Photo
United States

Erin Hoyt is an arts administrator specializing in contemporary photography. She is currently the Executive Director of Filter Photo, a non-profit arts organization based in Chicago that focuses on professional development practices for fine art and documentary photographers. The organization hosts the annual Filter Photo Festival and runs Filter Space, a gallery and project space for exhibitions, workshops, artist talks, and other diverse programming centered around contemporary photography. At Filter, Erin manages an ongoing series of exhibitions, artist lectures, professional development workshops, and portfolio reviews.

Erin is also an avid collector of contemporary photography and participates in national and international conferences including Paris Photo, AIPAD, Art Basel and has served as a reviewer for Chico Reviews, Photo NOLA and Atlanta Photography Group.

Emerging Talent Photography Competition – Jury
Jim Casper
Editor-in-Chief
LensCulture
The Netherlands

Jim Casper is the editor-in-chief of LensCulture, one of the leading online destinations to discover contemporary photography from around the world. As an active member in the contemporary photography world, Casper organizes annual international photography events, travels around the world to meet with photographers and review their portfolios, curates art exhibitions, writes about photography and culture, lectures, conducts workshops, serves as an international juror and nominator for key awards, and is an advisor to arts and education organizations.

Exhibition at Photo London!

Winning photographers will be exhibited at the fabulous Somerset House in London during Photo London 2025, the premiere international photo fair that brings together hundreds of galleries, publishers and collectors, as well as an ambitious program of exhibitions, conversations, artist book signings and curated fair events.

An opening reception will be held for LensCulture artists, invited media, photo editors and industry insiders for a night of art appreciation and networking during the UK’s largest international art fair dedicated to photography.

Once you’ve started to take your own photography seriously, it’s important to get it out into the world.”
Jim Casper, LensCulture
© Stephanie O'Connor
© Hanna Wolf

Grow your career with our awards & benefits

Featured at International Photo Festivals

Select works will be screened at photo festivals and events worldwide. In the past, our winners, finalists, and jurors’ picks were screened at festivals in the US, the UK, Italy, France, Spain, Japan, the Netherlands, Australia, and more.

Visibility With Industry Insiders & Creative Professionals

All it takes is one set of eyes to change the course of your career. If our jury ranks your submission highly, you will be included in LensCulture Discoveries, our directory of top-rated photographers. We provide this directory to key decision-makers including editors, book publishers, gallery owners, festival directors, creative directors, curators, and online media publishers.

Global Reach via Social Media

All 25 winners will be celebrated on our social media platforms, reaching thousands of photography lovers worldwide.

Permanent Exhibition in LensCulture Online Gallery

LensCulture has become a key resource for discovering new photography work all over the world. All winners, finalists and jurors’ picks for this award will be prominently featured in the permanent online gallery on our site.

International Press Exposure

Award winners receive press coverage in publications and media outlets around the world — the kind of exposure that can lead to viral, global recognition of your work. Winners, finalists and selected entrants have been featured in major publications including BBC, The Guardian, The Washington Post, Internazionale, VICE, The Times of London, Huffington Post, Spiegel Online, The British Journal of Photography, and The Telegraph.

Be sure to check out last year’s feature in The Guardian, a beautiful image gallery sharing the work of the 2023 LensCulture Critics’ Choice Award winners with the world.


The Guardian Photo Contest and Competition
The Timelightbox Photography Contest and Competition
BJP Photography Contest and Competition
The Telegraphy Photography Contest and Competition
The New York Times Photography Contest and Competition
Speigel Photography Contest and Competition
Hufftington Post Photography Contest and Competition

© Emmanuel Rosario
Competition Gallery
Editors’ Picks
When you enter this award, your work will be immediately reviewed by our editors. Selected submissions will be featured in our Competition Gallery and published across all of our online channels, reaching an international audience of three million. (For example, more than 250 early entries were selected and featured during our 2023 Emerging Talent Awards, and more than 150 of those were promoted via LensCulture’s Instagram and Facebook platforms, reaching approximately 2 million photography lovers during the competition. Enter your work early to take advantage of this incredible opportunity for global exposure!
Note: While our editors review entries for inclusion on a daily basis, not every submission can be shown here.
© Blandine Soulage
© Marina Planas

Cash Awards & Recognition

25 Winners

25 Emerging Talents and their work will be highlighted and featured on the winners’ page, and in a group exhibition of Emerging Talents in London, in social media, at international photo festivals, and in worldwide promotions to global media.

8 Special Jurors’ Picks

From among the 25 Winners, each juror will select a Juror's Pick to receive special distinction, including quotes from the experts praising the selected series, and cash awards of $1,500 each — so, a total of $12,000 in cash prizes.

Benefits for All Who Enter

Benefits8 Jurors’ Picks25 TalentsEditors‘ Picks(1)Every Entrant
$12,000 in Cash Awards
Exhibition at Photo London 2025
Visibility with LensCulture Insiders
Featured in International Photo Festival Projections
International Press Exposure
Massive Exposure to our Global Audience of 3 Million
LensCulture Portfolio Account
Opportunity to be in LensCulture Discoveries online directory of top-rated photographers(2)
Share your Work with the Global Photography Community
Opportunities for Immediate Exposure
(1)Editors’ Picks: During the competition, LensCulture’s editors will curate hundreds of entries for immediate exposure to our global audience through the competition gallery and our Instagram and Facebook pages, all updated daily. (2)All highly-rated photographers are automatically included in LensCulture Discoveries online directory.
© Kyosei Yoshiike

Get a submission review and receive feedback to keep growing your work

You can add a professional written review of your submission for an additional $25. This is a unique opportunity to receive valuable and specific feedback on your work from one of our experienced industry professionals.

Be Recognized Globally as an Emerging Talent

You might be asking yourself, have I emerged? Existential questions aside, anyone who has not yet received significant international recognition for their work is welcome to participate. For further information, please see our FAQ.

No limitations on age, genre or location.

photography awards, photography competition, lensculture emerging talent photo awards 2024, why enter video
LensCulture has been helping photographers gain visibility and recognition for over 20 years.
Hear from a few winners about this career-changing impact.
© Shuwei Liu

Be persistent.

Many successful photographers enter the same work in several competitions before they finally win. This is an effective strategy to have your work seen by many different jurors and build your career. Persistence is the key to getting your work seen by influential experts worldwide - it only takes one person to make a positive impact on your creative journey!

Success Stories

For 20 years, LensCulture has been committed to supporting photographers of all levels move forward creatively and professionally. In that time, we have heard from hundreds of photographers who were able to achieve breakthroughs in their careers through participation in the LensCulture community.

“After winning, my career started to bloom! I had a solo exhibit in a gallery in Bogotá, I was selected to be the recipient of the Mary Ellen Mark memorial scholarship at International Center for Photography, and I was invited to teach a project in a high school. So many good things!”
Ana Vallejo is a previous Winner for our Photography Competition 2023 Awards
Ana Vallejo
Emerging Talent 2018
“Since the award, the project has been featured in National Geographic Traveler in China. I have also been invited to exhibit at the F2 Foto Festival in Dortmund Germany, as well as show my work at the London Business School Photography Awards exhibition.
This award has helped further the reach of a project that is dear to my heart and also highlights an issue that is critical to the future of our planet. The goal of my career is to do important work and have it find an audience. The LensCulture Award has helped me in this, and that is the greatest impact I could ask for.”
Photography Competition 2023 Awards - Aaron Elkaim
Aaron Elkaim
Emerging Talent 2018
“After the Emerging Talent Award, I also won the Fourthwall Books African Photobook Award that will enable me to publish a first edition photobook of the “Education is Forbidden” project. I was also selected to be among the 12 participants for the prestigious World Press Photo Joop Swart Masterclass. The recognition from LensCulture helped me gain pivotal exposure for my work and gave me a validation that I was on the right path.”
Rahima Gambo, LensCulture Emerging Talent
Rahima Gambo
LensCulture Emerging Talent 2016
We respect artists’ rights
All photographers retain full copyrights for their own work. Period. Winners, Jurors' Picks and Finalists grant LensCulture limited, restricted use of winning photos only to promote the photographers themselves and in connection with marketing the Awards competition itself. Details can be found in the Competition Rules.