SLOVAK PRESS PHOTO is a contest of photographic works and short news, documentary and reportage videos created for publication purposes in the course of the previous year. The aim of the project is to raise the level of Slovak visual journalism, promote its authors, and record and show to the public, by means of exhibitions, the past year´s events and life in Slovakia and in the world. The contest represents a platform for the confrontation of works made by authors from Slovakia and Central European countries.
This year, the contest is organised under the auspices of Marek Maďarič, Minister of Culture of the Slovak Republic, and Ivo Nesrovnal, Mayor of Bratislava. The contest and accompanying events will be held thanks to the financial contribution from the Slovak Arts Council.
Our invitation to chair the jury has again been accepted by the renowned American photographer, one of the founding members of the international photo agency NOOR Stanley Greene (USA), multiple World Press Photo winner. The other jury members are: Stanley´s colleague from the agency, a successful photographer and a representative of humanitarian photography Alixandra Fazzina (UK) (www.noorimages.com), Joe Klamar, AFP´s chief photographer for the Central European region, prof.Jindřich Štreit (CZ) from the Institute of Creative Photography, and Doc. Mgr. Jana Hojstričová (SK), Vice-Rector of the Academy of Fine Arts).
The jury for videos has the same composition as last year, seeking to follow up on and use the experience of its members: Pavol Barabáš, Slovak documentarist; Zdeněk Šámal (CZ), News Director in the Czech Television, and Tomáš Stanek, Slovak camera operator.
Slovak photographers working for mass media can apply with their works for the following categories: Reportage, News, Portrait, Daily Life, World of Art, Sports, and Nature. This year, the Central European Photography is open again to photographers from Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Belarus and Ukraine.
From this year onwards, the category for Young Photographers up to 25 Years and Students will be open not only to Slovaks, but also to students from Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Belarus and Ukraine.
We will also award the prize Young Talentof SLOVAK PRESS PHOTO to a Slovak photographer – student up to 25 years, whose works appealed most to the jury, while taking into consideration his/her previous works. In addition, the SLOVAK PRESS PHOTO Foundation will organise a solo exhibition for the winner of this award. In general, our ambition is to further develop our co-operation with schools dedicated to visual journalism and promote the category for students and beginner photographers.
Authors of short videos produced in the course of the previous year, which have the potential of being published or which were published in audio-visual media can apply for the Short Video international category. This category is launched in co-operation with the Slovak Radio and Television (RTVS), and is open to video-makers from Slovakia, Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Belarus and Ukraine.
Together with the Municipality of Bratislava and Mr. Ivo Nesrovnal, Mayor of Bratislava, we are launching again the traditional category Bratislava Grant, the winner of which would continue photographing the city in the course of the next year and deliver a collection of 30 photographs to the Municipality of the Capital City. The grant will become a part of the SLOVAK PRESS PHOTO exhibition and will present Bratislava in other exhibitions at home and abroad, as well. The topic of this year´s grant is Bratislava during Slovakia´s Presidency of the Council of the EU.
From this year onwards, the photographs will only be judged in digitalform, which will simplify the registration of works.
The registration system will be available on www.archiv.slovak-press-photo.sk from 23 May 2016. Authors can apply until 31 August 2016.
In October 2016, we will open Stanley Greene´sphoto exhibition inthe Pálffy Palace in Bratislava.
Our co-operation with the NOOR photo agencyresulted in an offer for an interesting two-year project “What´s Next, Slovakia?”, under which the members of this agency, excellent photographers and holders of multiple prizes, will map the different faces of Slovakia and run workshops for Slovak and foreign photographers. The project will culminate with a joint exhibition and a book, including websites and presentations by workshop participants. The project centre will be in Bratislava, and the exhibition will tour different countries of the world. The project will focus on Slovakia´s Presidency of the Council of the EU and will be a unique presentation of our country.
At the end of last year, we founded the SLOVAK PRESS PHOTO Foundation with the aim to support the work, presentation and education of young photographers and photojournalists, as well as organise various debates, workshops, summer camps and exhibitions both for the younger and the older generation.
In Bratislava on 18 May 2016