OPEN CALL FOR PHOTOZINE AND PHOTOBOOK DUMMY AWARD 2025 – APPLICATION GUIDELINES 

The Photobook Dummy Award is one of the highlights of the Hong Kong Photobook Festival, which aims to support emerging artists and provide them with opportunities to showcase their work at international festivals.  This year photographers, artists and creative talents from all over the world are as usual invited to submit their works.  Thanks to the support of various partners, the winning and shortlisted dummies from previous year have been toured and exhibited in numerous places, included but not limited to New Zealand, Germany, India, Taiwan, Denmark, Spain, the Netherlands, Italy. 

In addition the Photobook Dummy Award, this year we are excited to introduce the newly launched “Photozine Award” which aims at encouraging more people, especially the youth, to join the photozine creation and publication sectors.  The worldwide open call for Photozine Award is divided into Open and Student Categories.  Specifically, the Student Category is targeting at open recruits of works from students at various levels globally. 

About the selection scheme, jury from the Photobook Dummy Award will shortlist at most 15 finalists in the first round, while for the Photozine Award, 10 finalists from each category will be shortlisted. Eventually 3 winners for the Photobook Dummy Award and each of the two Photozine Award Categories will be selected among the finalists. 

All the finalists’ works will be exhibited at the Hong Kong Photobook Festival 2025.  Winners can utilise this opportunity to have professional exchange with the jury and also share their creation process with the participating audience. 

Submission Deadline 

Participants should submit their works with their submission form(s) so that the package arrives at Lumenvisum’s office by 15th February 2025 (Hong Kong Time) (by post or in person). Please allow ample time to enter and mail your works. Late submissions will not be considered by the jury. 

Prizes  

  1. Winner’s dummies/zines and other shortlisted dummies/zines will be exhibited in the Hong Kong Photobook Festival 2025.  
  1. The winner of the First Prize of Photobook Dummy will be granted a maximum subsidy of HKD$20,000 for participation in the visit of the international photobook festival; or self-published photobooks. 
  1. The winner of the First Prize of Photozine will be granted a maximum subsidy of HKD$3000 (per category) for participation in the visit of the international photobook festival; or self-published photozines. 

Entry Fees  

  1. The application fee is waived this year. 
  1. Costs of shipping are covered by the applications and are not refundable. 

Eligibility  

Photobook Dummy Award 

  1. The Award is open to photographers, artists, designers and all the creative talents from worldwide. 
  1. There is no specific age and nationality limit for entering the Award.  
  1. The photobook dummy can be done individually or collectively. 
  1. The photobook dummy must be original. 
  1. The photobook dummy must be self-published or unpublished. It cannot be published by any registered publisher or has never been committed to being published by any other publisher.  
  1. ISBN and is not a requirement for the Award. 
  1. The photobook dummy can be presented in any language. 
  1. The photobook dummy must be created on or after the 1st of January 2022. 

Photozine Award (General and Student Category) 

  1. The Award is open to photographers, artists, designers and all the creative talents. 
  1. The theme of this year’s Photozine Award is “Hong Kong” 
  1. Applying for Open or Student Category: There is no specific age and nationality limit for entering the Award, while the Student Category is open to full-time students only. Please upload your student identity card or other proof in your application. 
  1. The photozine can be done individually or collectively.  All candidates in a group must be students if they are submitting jointly under the Student Category. 
  1. The photozine must be original. 
  1. The photozine must not exceed 32 pages. 
  1. The photozine must be self-published or unpublished. It cannot be published by any registered publisher or has never been committed to being published by any other publisher.  
  1. The photozine can be presented in any language. 
  1. The photozine must be created on or after the 1st of January 2024. 

Important Note 

  • Applicants may apply for both awards.  However, every work is only eligible for one award’s application (i.e. either Photobook Dummy Award, Student Category or Open Category of Photozine Award). 
  • Each applicant can only submit one entry for each award. 
  • All shortlisted work will be featured in various exhibitions globally. In order to ensure the pieces’ good condition throughout the tour, shortlisted applicants need to submit a second physical copy of their works to the organiser. This second copy should arrive at Lumenvisum within 21 days after the announcement of the shortlist. 
  • The organiser is not responsible for any damage of the works during the exhibition. 

Timeline 

1st October 2024Applications Opening 
15th February 2025 at 18:00 (HKT, UTC/GMT: +8:00)Applications Closing 
April 2025Finalists Announcement
May 2025Winners Announcement

Application Procedure 

Step One – Online Registration 

  1. Fill in the online submission form below. Upload the PDF file including all pages of the book/zine and the image of the book/zine cover. Please provide the photos of book/zine cover as shown in the instruction below:   
  1. The form must be completed either in Chinese or English. 
  1. The form must be submitted before the submission of the physical copy. 
  1. Print the acknowledgement of receipt or confirmation message as a proof of successful registration.  

 
Step Two – Submission of Physical Copy – Pack your photobook dummy/photozine  

  1. Your submission should include (i) a physical copy of your photobook dummy/photozine; and (ii) a registration proof.  
  1. All the items for submission must be packed in a sealed envelope.  
  1. Mark “Hong Kong Photobook Dummy Award 2025” or “Hong Kong Photozine Award 2025” on the envelope.  

Step Three – Submission of Physical Copy – By Post or In Person 

Submission by Post  Submission in Person 
For submission by post, the package must arrive at the following address by 15th February 2025. All incomplete or late entries will be declined. For submission in person, the applicant should submit the physical copy within the opening hours* of Lumenvisum.  
Address Lumenvisum Company Limited L2-02 Jockey Club Creative & Arts Centre 30 Pak Tin Street,  Shek Kip Mei,  Kowloon, Hong Kong. 
N/A *Opening Hours  
Monday to Friday (09:30-13:00 & 14:00-18:00) Saturday, Sunday & Public holidays (11:00-13:00 & 1400-1800)  

HONG KONG PHOTOBOOK DUMMY AWARD TOURING EXHIBITION– Jarkata, Indonesia|Pentas Buku Foto

Our shortlisted dummy photobooks have arrived at the seventh worldwide stop – Jakarta, Indonesia and will be exhibited at the Pentas Buku Foto until 29 February! For more event details, please visit their official website.

Exhibition Details:

——

Date : 1 – 29 February 2024

Venue : ITC Fatmawati, blok F no.16

Hong Kong Photobook Dummy Award Touring Exhibition– Goa, India|Sunaparanta Art Centre

Our shortlisted dummy photobooks have arrived at the sixth worldwide stop – Gao, India and will be exhibited at the Library, Sunaparanta Goa Centre for the Arts until 23 December! For more event details, please visit Sunaparanta Art Centre.

Exhibition Details:

——

Date : 8 – 23 December 2023 (Mon – Sat)

Time : 11:00 – 18:30

Venue : Library, Sunaparanta Goa Centre for the Arts

Hong Kong Photobook Dummy Award Touring Exhibition – New Delhi, India|Khoj Studios

Our shortlisted dummy photobooks have arrived at the fifth worldwide stop – New Delhi, India and will be exhibited at the Khoj Studios from 24 November to 1 December! This is the very first time bringing the shortlisted and winning titles of the Hong Kong Photobook Dummy Award to India, many thanks for the arrangement of Offset Projects! For more information about Offset Projects, please visit https://offsetprojects.in/ .

Exhibition Details:

——

Offset Projects: PHOTOBOOK EXHIBIT

Opening : 24 November 2023, 16:00 – 20:00

Date : 25 November – 1 December 2023 (Mon – Sat)

Time : 11:00 – 19:00

Venue : Project Space, Khoj Studios, New Delhi


Hong Kong Photobook Dummy Award 2023

Winners & Shortlisted Photobooks


As one of the key activities of the 2nd Hong Kong Photo Book Festival (HKPBF), Hong Kong Photobook Dummy Award 2023 aims to support emerging photographers and artists by providing a local and international platform for photographic works displaying. This year, we are honoured to have renowned local and overseas photographers and artists serve as judges. Including Andreas Müller Pohle, the founder and editor-in-chief of “European Photography” magazine; Kurt Tong, a famous contemporary artist; Lau Ching-ping, the former chairman of the Hong Kong International Photography Festival; Yanyou Yuan Di, the founder of Jiazazhi Press, and Zhuang Wubin, a Singapore independent curator.  

Thanks to the success of the 1st HKPBF, the competition caught more overseas photographers’ and artists’ eyeballs and submitted their works. We have received more than 130 entries from local and overseas, and the judging stage is in full swing. The judges had selected 15 shortlisted works, 4 works in the midst have been awarded the Gold Medal, Silver Medal, Bronze Metal, and Special Mention!  


WINNERS



SHORTLIST



Hong Kong Photobook Dummy Award 2023 —— Winners Announcement



Photobook Dummy Award 2023 has received a considerable number of submissions. We express our gratitude to all participants for providing us with exceptional works, which have allowed us to indulge in a visual and artistic feast of photography. We would also like to extend our appreciation to our esteemed judging panel for their diligent efforts in selecting the winning works. Attributed to all the endeavour and support, we are pleased to announce the list of winners for this year’s award: 


𝗚𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝗠𝗲𝗱𝗮𝗹 𝗪𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗿
Anna Pylypyuk [UA] & Volodymyr Shypotilnykov [UA] – Photography Firmly Enters The Everyday

𝗦𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗠𝗲𝗱𝗮𝗹 𝗪𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗿
Yoshikatsu Fujii [JP] – Hiroshima Graph – Everlasting Flow

𝗕𝗿𝗼𝗻𝘇𝗲 𝗠𝗲𝗱𝗮𝗹 𝗪𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗿
Victoria Li [HK] – Origin

𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗠𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻
Rafael Roncato [BR] – Tropical Trauma Misery Tour



Sponsor of Hong Kong Photobook Dummy Award:

Asia One Product & Publishing Limited (AOPP)

Photobook Awards Exhibition —— Kassel Dummy Award 2023


Since 2010, the Kassel Fotobook Festival has been inviting photographers worldwide to take part in its Kassel Dummy Award. Over this period of time, thousands of photobook dummies have been submitted from all around the world; hundreds of shortlisted books have been exhibited internationally at various photography events, festivals and exhibition spaces. The participating photographers have been able to expand their networks with galleries, publishers and festivals, finding the opportunity to present their books to the global audience.

As an international photobook dummy award, this is its third time to be exhibited in Hong Kong. We are glad to tell that there are 50 shortlisted and participated Kassel Dummy Award pieces to be displayed at JCCAC L2 Podium! Visit from 30 June 2023 to 16 July 2023 to enjoy the Photobook Awards Exhibition!



Photobook Awards Exhibition – Kassel Dummy Award 2023 
Date: 2023.06.30 – 2023.07.16
Time: 11am – 6pm
Venue: JCCAC L2 Podium


Photobook Awards Exhibition —— NOMAD 2022 by SIPF


We are grateful for first collaboration with our partner DECK Photography Art Centre to present the works of SIPF Photobook Award in Hong Kong! This award was established by the Singapore International Photography Festival (SIPF). The book submissions were gathered through an open call and reviewed by an esteemed international jury. In this 3rd edition, 30 outstanding entries had been selected as finalists, of which two emerged as the overall winners – “Best Published Book” and “Best Dummy Book”.

Come to JCCAC on or before 16 July for enjoying what 𝘕𝘖𝘔𝘈𝘋: The Travelling Photobooks brings to us!



DECK Photography Art Centre
Singapore International Photography Festival (SIPF)
𝘕𝘖𝘔𝘈𝘋: The Travelling Photobooks

Photobook Awards Exhibition – NOMAD 2022 by SIPF
Date: 2023.06.30 – 2023.07.16
Time: 11am – 6pm
Venue: JCCAC L2 Podium


The 2nd Hong Kong Photobook Festival —— Press Release


Please click here to retrieve the press release.

(Only possess Chinese version.)


A photobook is more than just a book. With different image arrangements and binding methods, the climaxes and rhythm of each photobook are distinctive. The photobook is also a kind of autonomous art form with the authors’ strong consciousness; therefore, the style and narration of each photobook are unique. As such an open and accessible means to narrate visual stories, photobook became increasingly popular for photographers and creators to convey their own ideas.

To promote photobook culture, Hong Kong Photobook Festival was found by Lumenvisum in 2020. The Festival aims to connect photographers, artists and a diverse range of publishers and independent groups from all over the world. It also serves as a supporter of emerging artists to gain exposure in the field of contemporary photography.

A series of programmes will be presented in the Festival, including book market, exhibitions, workshops and talks. Moreover, Photobook Dummy Award is established particularly for young photographers and artists. They will have the opportunities to showcase their works in international festivals and other photography events.


The 2nd Hong Kong Photobook Festival – Details:
Date: 2023.06.30 – 2023.07.16
Time:11am – 6pm
(06.30 to 07.02 will extend the opening hour to 7pm.)
Venue:Lumenvisum & JCCAC L2 Podium


Hong Kong Photobook Dummy Award 2023 —— Shortlist Announcement


134 books from 38 countries were submitted for the Hong Kong Photobook Dummy Award 2023. We want to show our deepest gratitude to all the participants for their impressive work. We are pleased to present the following 15 books from the shortlist, and, congratulations to all nominees!


(The shortlist is arranged in alphabetical order by name.)

Anna Bedynska [PL] – Forever Mine
Anna Pylypyuk [UA] – Photography Firmly Enters The Everyday
Bruno Claro [PT] – Tentativas Operatórias no Tratamento de Certas Psicoses
Cheong-hang Tam [HK] – 呢度真係官塘嚟,It Really Is Kwun Tong
Christian Babista [PH] – When The Waves Are Gone
Diane Bielik [UK] – Halo Tango
Kanta Nomura [JP] – The Yoshida Dormitory Old Darkroom
Kseniia Fedorova [MT] – After Winter. Album #58
Luigi Cecconi [IT] – Incorrect Theory
Marco Marzocchi [IT] – Bullet
Rafael Roncato [BR] – Tropical Trauma Misery Tour
Soen Lee [KR] – Drift Bottle
Sunik Kim [KR] – The Wave
Victoria Li [UK] – Origin
Yoshikatsu Fujii [JP] – Hiroshima Graph – Everlasting Flow


The shortlisted work will be exhibited at the Hong Kong Photobook Festival during 2023.06.30-2023.07.16. The announcement of 3 winning books will also be posted on July 1 at the opening ceremony of the Hong Kong Photobook Festival 2023. Come and support them!


Sponsor of Hong Kong Photobook Dummy Award:

Asia One Product & Publishing Limited (AOPP)