Launched on International Women’s Day, The BarTur Photo Award aims to celebrate women photographers creating exceptional work and is supported by Leica Fotografie International.

Photo – Selia Montes Gonzalez, Yumare

The award is named in honour of Ann Lesley, late wife, and mother of founders Amnon and Armon Bar-Tur. As a woman artist in London and New York in the 1970s-1980s, she often experienced sexist discrimination and unequal access to opportunity. The award is dedicated to her memory, and to all women photographers past and present who haven’t yet received the access and acknowledgement they deserve.

This year’s theme is focused upon the Future, as represented by the following quote: “The past is always tense, the future perfect.” ― Zadie Smith. Participants are asked to turn their lens on any aspect of how they imagine the future; be it through intimate personal hopes or fears, or through aspirations and trepidations that they have for society at large. How do you imagine your cities to be designed, inhabited, organised? Do you predict feeling more connected to the world or more isolated? Do you see the meaning of family being reshaped or challenged? Are you hopeful or apprehensive about the progression of gender equality and social justice? What do you think art will look like in the future, and how will we value it? Do you think understandings of womanhood and femininity will be different in the future? How will climate change, war, and global health crises affect how we relate to the planet and to each other as humans? Do you feel optimism, fear, or even apathy about how things unfold?
Anyone who identifies as a woman, non-binary, or gender-queer is encouraged to submit to the award, and photographers of colour and from the Global South are particularly encouraged. The competition opens on the 8th March 2022 and closes on 31st May 2022.

Winners will receive a monetary prize from the USD 20,000 BarTur prize pool and equipment loan from Leica Fotografie International. The BarTur Photo Award also offers winners mentorship and exhibitions across Europe. Click here for more information, including entry conditions and judging.