Call for entries: Thinking Photography & Writing Photography 2026

Cologne, 24 June 2026

German Photographic Society (DGPh) and Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation offer two awards for writing about photography

• The DGPh Research Award “Thinking Photography”, endowed with €3,000, recognises research projects in photographic theory and history.
• The DGPh Award “Writing Photography”, endowed with €1,000, honours pioneering publications on photography as well as journalistic, essayistic and other publications. 
• Applications for both prizes can be submitted in German or English from 1 July to 31 October 2026.
• An international jury will select the award winners. 

The German Photographic Society (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Photographie) and the Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation are offering the two prizes “Thinking Photography. DGPh Research Award” and “Writing Photography. DGPh Award for Innovative Publication” for the fourth time. The awards are presented every two years. Applications for both prizes can be submitted from 1 July to 31 October 2026.

The DGPh Research Award “Thinking Photography” recognises research projects in photographic theory and history as well as approaches from the humanities, cultural studies or social sciences that constitute exceptional contributions to photography research. The prize is awarded for academic qualification theses (master’s theses, diploma theses or dissertations) or other independent publications that contribute to an expansion of research perspectives on the medium of photography. With no thematic restrictions or guidelines in terms of methods and approaches, special attention is given to works committed to venturing beyond disciplinary or methodological boundaries. Texts in German or English, whether unpublished, published online or published in print, can be submitted. They must have been produced or published from November 2024 onwards.

The DGPh Award “Writing Photography” for innovative publishing recognises pioneering publications on photography as well as journalistic, essayistic and other publications. Particular attention is given to publication formats such as blog posts, columns and reviews, web-based publications, and works which creatively combine text and photographic material.Individual contributions in German or English, published digitally or in print from November 2024 onwards, may be submitted. The prize is endowed with €1,000.

An international jury will select the winners. The award ceremony will be held as part of a public event, jointly organised by the DGPh and the Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation in 2027.

Submission of the works

Application documents can be uploaded via the following links:

• Thinking Photography. DGPh Research Award
   
• Writing Photography. DGPh Award for Innovative Publication

They must include the following documents:

• Abstract of the work in English (approx. 3,500 characters incl. spaces)
• Entire manuscript in German or English
• Curriculum vitae
• List of previous publications (optional)

The submission deadline is 31 October 2026. 

The promotion of academic research on photography

In cooperation with the Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation, the German Photographic Society (DGPh) is awarding the two prizes “Thinking Photography” and “Writing Photography” for the fourth time. The support of contemporary photography is one of the main objectives of both, the Foundation and the DGPh.

Media contact:

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Photographie (DGPh)
Regina Plaar
regina.plaar@dgph.de
Tel. +49 221 9232069