FotoEvidence, a publishing house cofounded by Bulgarian photographer Svetlana Bachevanova, and the World Press Photo Foundation have joined efforts to co-organize the annual FotoEvidence Book Award, which will now be known as the FotoEvidence Book Award with World Press Photo.
Every year the contest recognizes one photographer whose work demonstrates courage and commitment to social justice. The winning project is published as an album by FotoEvidence.
Based in New York, FotoEvidence was founded in 2010 by prominent Bulgarian photographer Svetlana Bachevanova and US sociologist, photographer, and writer David Stuart. Their goal is to draw the public attention to human rights violations, injustices, and violence across the globe with the belief that photographers can not only change the way events are perceived but also shape the course of history. The Amsterdam-based World Press Photo Foundation, for its part, organizes one of the most prestigious photo contests, followed by a series of exhibitions of the winning works around the world which attract 4 million visitors every year.
Thanks to the partnership between the two organizations, the recipient and two other finalists of the FotoEvidence Book Award with World Press Photo will have the opportunity to present their photos at the 2018 World Press Photo Exhibition in Amsterdam. The winner’s book is also to have its premier in Amsterdam and will later be part of the global tour of the World Press Photo Exhibition. In the fall, FotoEvidence will organize a special exhibition in New York showcasing the works of the award recipient and the two finalists. The winner will also be invited to participate in EXPOSE – a day-long workshop during which (s)he will share his/her experience with students and give them feedback on their long-term projects.
“We at FotoEvidence are excited about our partnership with the World Press Photo Foundation because of our shared commitment to excellence and new initiatives in documentary photography and photojournalism,” Bachevanova said. “After seven years and sixteen FotoEvidence books, we expect the FotoEvidence Book Award with World Press Photo to expand our reach to a worldwide audience, strengthen our mission promoting social justice, and increase our support for photographers who demonstrate courage and commitment in the pursuit of human rights.”
Lars Boering, managing director of the World Press Photo Foundation, also welcomed the collaboration with FotoEvidence.
“The World Press Photo Foundation is expanding all areas of its activities, and as part of that we’re more committed than ever to promoting visual journalism that addresses social justice,” Boering said. “We understand that photo books which address these topics occupy a special but challenging place in the photo book market, and we want to bring this work to our large global audience. The FotoEvidence Book Award with World Press Photo will build on the commitment of Svetlana [Bachevanova] and her team and help to further our joint mission.”
The 2018 FotoEvidence Book Award with World Pres Photo is now open for submissions.
Application deadline: 15 December 2017
Announcement of the winner and the finalists: 7 February 2018.
You can find detailed information about the award and the application process on the website of FotoEvidence.
Svetlana Bachevanova has nearly three decades of experience as a photo reporter interested in the protection in human rights, a topic she came to care about while living under the dictatorship of the Bulgarian Communist Party (BCP). After the collapse of communism in November 1989, Bachevanova took over the photo department of Democracy, the first anti-communist newspaper in the country. Seven years later, she became the head of the photo department of the Bulgarian News Agency. Bachevanova covered the transition to democracy in Bulgaria, Slovenia, and Lithuania, the wars in Kosovo and Bosnia and Herzegovina, the separation of the Soviet Union, and the revolution in Romania. In 2001, Bachevanova moved to New York where in 2010 she co-founded FotoEvidence to continue her mission to fight oppression and expose human rights violations through photography.
Svetlana Bachevanova’s FotoEvidence joins forces with World Press Photo Foundation
