Pride Photo Competition
Pride Photo Award, the international photo contest on sexual and gender diversity, kicks off its 2013 edition. The creative theme this year is “Extremely Normal”, challenging photographers to go beyond flamboyant stereotypes and make exceptional photos of ordinary (gay and lesbian) people.
Pride Photo Award is opening its doors to photographers around the world to participate in the 2013 contest. The competition features three permanent categories – Documentary, Gender, Open – and an annual theme category, which this year is “Extremely Normal”. Last year 1,750 photos were entered by over 200 photographers worldwide.
Photo: © Benedicte Desrus / SIPA Press
The image illustrates the theme ‘Extremely Normal’.
The photo is part of the series ‘Persecution of homosexuality in Uganda’
that won 1st prize Documentary 2011.
“Extremely Normal” is the antithesis to the media cliché that represents the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community with extravagant photos of drag queens or half-naked men dancing on a boat. “LGBT people are just as conventional, special or boring as the rest of us. The challenge this year is to make extraordinary photos of ordinary people,” says project manager Joeri Kempen.
This year, Pride Photo Award will honour those photographers who capture the discrete charm of normality. The theme was chosen by renowned Dutch photo curator Marga Rotteveel. “Your neighbour, classmate or colleague may be ‘different’, yet downright normal. They lease cars, buy houses or do grocery shopping; all very normal things. While discrimination is on the rise, photography still focuses on extreme forms of gender and sexual diversity”, explains Rotteveel.
The registration of participants and submission of the contest photos will take place on the website www.pridephotoaward.org, during April and May 2013. A jury of internationally renowned photography experts will judge the entries and select the winners, who will be announced in June. The Awards Ceremony will take place on August 23rd, at the Amsterdam’s iconic Old Church, also host of the well-known World Press Photo exhibitions. The Pride Photo Award exhibition will be on display for one month and is expected to draw at least 10.000 visitors. An travelling exhibition will follow in several Dutch cities, including outdoor photo panels.
Pride Photo Award is a joint initiative of the COC Amsterdam (Dutch Association for LGBT people), IHLIA (International Gay and Lesbian Information Center and Archive) and the Homomonument Foundation. Foam (Amsterdam photography museum) and World Press Photo advise and support Pride Photo Award.