March 18, 2021

Jerwood/Photoworks Awards call for entries opens

Applications are now closed.

The Jerwood/Photoworks Awards are a major commissioning opportunity supporting early-career artists working with photography to make new work and significantly develop their practice.  Two artists will receive a £15,000 award each with a full package of support from Photoworks and Jerwood Arts to create new work over a 12-month period.

Now in their fourth edition, the Awards are for UK-based artists who have been practising for between one and ten years. Two artists will be chosen by a selection panel including Christine Eyene (Art historian, critic and curator), Sunil Gupta (Photographer), Joy Gregory (Artist), Julia Bunnemann (Curator, Photoworks) and Harriet Cooper (Head of Visual Arts, Jerwood Arts).

There is no age limit or fee to apply and both organisations particularly seek to encourage artists exploring new approaches to photography.

The Awards include:

  • £10,000 artists fee
  • £5,000 production budget
  • Mentoring support from a high-profile international pool of experts for at least 12-months.
  • Curatorial support from Photoworks and Jerwood Arts (including with Shoair Mavlian and Julia Bunnemann, Photoworks and Harriet Cooper, Jerwood Arts)
  • A two-person exhibition in London as part of the Jerwood Arts programme at Jerwood Space (opening October 2022)
  • A UK touring exhibition in 2023. Previous Jerwood/Photoworks Awards tour partners include Belfast Exposed, Belfast and StreetLevel Photoworks, Glasgow.
  • A £5,000 printing budget from print partner Spectrum Photographic for the London and UK touring exhibitions.

Previous recipients of the Awards have included Silvia Rosi, Theo Simpson, Alejandra Carles-Tolra, Sam Laughlin, Lua Ribeira, Matthew Finn, Joanna Piotrowska and Tereza Zelenkova.

The Awards are a collaboration between Jerwood Arts and Photoworks and are supported by Spectrum Photographic.

Lilli Geissendorfer, Director, Jerwood Arts, said, The Awards give early-career artists an opportunity to respond to the world around us through one of the most innovative and relevant mediums: photography. We are looking forward to being challenged and surprised by how artists are experimenting with this art form and exploring what photography can be today. We have developed our guidance materials to be more accessible and to help artists decide if it’s the right moment for them to apply, and are particularly excited to welcome proposals from those who may not have considered applying before.”

Silvia Rosi, recipient of the third edition of the Jerwood/Photoworks Awards said, “Experimentation has been a great part of my process with the Jerwood/Photoworks Awards. With the Awards I was given the opportunity to experiment, make mistakes and learn about my practice in the making, with great support and mentoring”

Applications for the Jerwood/Photoworks Awards have now closed. If you have applied, you can expect to hear back from us by 18 June 2021. All longlisted applicants will be notified of the outcome of their application by 16 July 2021. All shortlisted applicants will be notified of the outcome of their application by 27 July 2021.

Find out more:

Read the full press release here

Find out more about the Jerwood/Photoworks Awards and view past editions here