Australian Photobook Of The Year 2015 winners announced

Winners of the 2015 Australian Photobook of the Year Awards.

The Awards, which were open to Australian citizens, residents and companies, are split into two categories: Trade Published and Self Published. Due to their niche audience  appeal, it’s now rare for major publishers to take on a photography book and this was reflected with four times more entries from self-publishers and small independent presses than trade. Altogether, 67 entries were submitted.

The winner of the Australian Photobook Of The Year 2015 – Trade Published Award was  Generation AK: The Afghanistan Wars, 1993-2012 by Stephen Dupont, which was published by Gerhard Steidl.  The book displayed a collection of 20 years of photojournalistic work in a war zone and won its author/photographer $1,000 cash and $2,000 in Momento Pro printing credit. Fellow finalist, Sam Harris, was also acknowledged in the POYi Awards for his critically acclaimed book, The Middle Of Somewhere published last year by New York independent publisher, Ceiba Foto.

The winner of the Australian Photobook Of The Year 2015 – Self Published Award was  Photographic Studies College graduate Jordan Madge, for his dummy book titled Red Herring. Madge won $2000 cash and $5000 Momento Pro credit that will allow him to produce a limited edition book to submit to influential critics and competitions, to share and sell his work beyond Australian shores, and propel his career. He is currently in Japan as an artist-in-residence.

A finalist showcase is available at www.photobookoftheyear.com.au. The books will be  exhibited alongside the New Zealand Photobook Of The Year Awards 2015 finalists in Sydney, Brisbane, Perth, Wellington and Auckland from March to July. The next round of Awards opens from 1 November 2016 until mid January 2017. Once again, they will be co-hosted with festival partners Photobook Melbourne & Photobook New Zealand.