The Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Photographie (German Photography Society, DGPh) have joined forces to promote academic exchange in the field of photography. As part of their collaboration, the “DGPh History of Photography Research Award”, originally established in 1978, will be replaced by two separate awards, for research and for innovative publications.

The “Thinking Photography. DGPh Research Award” is awarded for approaches in the humanities, cultural or social sciences which make an exceptional contribution to photography research. Academic research projects as well as independent publications introducing fresh research perspectives to the medium of photography qualify for the €3,000 prize.
  
The second new award “Writing Photography. DGPh Prize for Innovative Publication” recognises shorter formats such as blogs, columns and reviews, online publications and those creatively merging text and photographic material. The winner will receive €1,000 in prize money. 

An international jury will select the awards’ recipients. The award ceremony will be held every two years as a joint public event organised by the DGPh and the Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation. Following the first joint call for submissions in May 2020, the award ceremony will be held in the summer of 2021. Specifications for entries will also be announced in May 2020 and published on both organisations’ websites.

The promotion of contemporary photography is a primary concern of the Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation. This also includes encouraging and facilitating academic exchange on the medium, a focus emphasised with the new cooperation with its renowned partner DGPh. It is their common goal to continue the success and commitment of the DGPh and to promote the organisation’s work through the new format.

The Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation

The Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation is a Frankfurt-based non-profit organisation. The foundation activities focus on collecting, exhibiting and promoting contemporary photography. Founded in 1999, the Art Collection Deutsche Börse now comprises over 1,900 works by around 130 international artists from 27 nations and is open to the public. Together with The Photographers’ Gallery in London, the foundation awards the renowned Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize each year. The Foundation is particularly interested in promoting young artists and supports them in various ways, e.g. through awards, scholarships or their participation in the Foam Talent programme. Other focal points include supporting exhibition projects of international museums and institutions, and the expansion of platforms for academic discussion about the medium.

The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Photographie (DGPh)

The Cologne-based Deutsche Gesellschaft für Photographie e.V. (German Photography Society, DGPh) works to promote and examine the cultural interests of photography and related imaging. Its activities are focused on the various fields of application in art, science, education, journalism, across industries and politics as well as their links and interactions. As the central authority for communicating ground-breaking achievements to the public in the field of photography, it awards several prizes and distinctions.