This year’s edition of OD Photo Prize saw hundreds of projects submitted from more than 70 countries. Once again the standard was extremely high and posed a difficult challenge for our panel of industry professionals to vote for and determine their 2023 Winner. We really hope you enjoy exploring these outstanding stories and innovative approaches to the medium.
We will be sharing projects from the shortlisted artists listed below on our Discovery account [@odtakeovers] over the coming weeks and months.
We would like to thank this year’s panel for their time and expertise:
Caroline Hunter
Tracy Marshall-Grant
Rosie Wadey
Alessia Glaviano
Steve Macleod
Joanna Cresswell
Ben Smith
Tom Page
Open Doors are delighted to announce the Grand Prize Winner for OD Photo Prize 2023…
Thanks to our partners
OD Photo Prize, 2023 | Winner
Patricia Voulgaris
When the sun hits
Grand Prize Winner
Patricia Voulgaris | When the sun hits
“My practice attempts to highlight the confusion between reality and image, the real and the imaginary, the material. Truth, lies and deception in photography has been widely debated. This debate regarding what makes a photograph “truthful” or not continues to confound image makers. It’s a question that can never be answered once and for all, simply because photography functions as a tool for self expression. The artist’s demands from the medium are constantly shifting as time progresses. The truth or falsity of an image is an exciting concept to deconstruct. It is often expressed as an impulse that is rooted in my subconscious. Throughout my practice, I am interested in creating worlds that function as both physical and magical plains.” – Patricia Voulgaris, 2023
Patricia Voulgaris [b.1991, USA] is a photographic artist currently based in New York, USA. She is currently a 2024 MFA candidate at the Yale School of Art. Since graduating from the School of Visual Arts in 2013, her work has been exhibited in numerous exhibitions including Aperture Foundation, Rubber Factory, Baxter Street at CCNY and the Silver Eye Center for photography.
OD Photo Prize, 2023 | Runner Up
Lucas Barioulet
The Land of The Pure
Runner Up
Lucas Barioulet | The Land of The Pure
“It’s the story of a country less than 100 years old, created in one of the most unstable regions in the world, with the dream of being the “Nation of the Pure”. A land which has become accustomed to war, as it has failed to embrace peace… How can one find one’s place and identity there, while hesitating between a sense of ethnic belonging and a desire for national identity? Through the portraits of workers, prostitutes, students, isolated landscapes and specific symbols of the Pakistani identity, “The land of the pure” attempts at depicting an unknown and misunderstood country which differs from the idea that has been carved in the collective mind, relayed by the media.” – Lucas Barioulet, 2023
Lucas Barioulet [b.1996, France] is a documentary photographer. Graduating from Ecole de Journaliste de Tours and San Diego State University he is currently based in Paris and focusing on long form projects from within islamic republics. In 2021 he travelled alone to Pakistan for 3 months. Working on his project investigating identity inside one of the most conservative societies in the world. The resulting series, The land of the Pure, is composed of 40 images captured using a medium format camera.
In 2022, he was awarded the Visa d’or de la Ville de Perpignan Rémi Ochlik for his coverage of the war in Ukraine for Le Monde.
OD Photo Prize, 2023 | Runner Up
Mohammad Rakibul Hasan
The Blue Fig
Runner Up
Mohammad Rakibul Hasan | The Blue Fig
“Global warming seems to have a disproportionate impact on certain countries compared to others. The immediate aftermath is increased incidents of natural disasters like storm surges and floods, while sea-level rise is slow yet inevitable. Bangladesh, the world’s largest delta, is a direct victim of global warming. Increased natural disasters like cyclones and oceanic tidal waves affect Bangladesh’s coastal area. The coastal lowlands of this country have millions who, ironically, depend on the sea for their livelihood. Thus, Bangladesh is one of the unwitting victims of climate change directly due to global warming.” – Mohammad Rakibul Hasan, 2023
Mohammad Rakibul Hasan [b.1978 Bangladesh] is a documentary photographer, filmmaker, journalist, visual artist, and art educator based in Dhaka, Bangladesh. His work explores a wide range of human rights, social development, political, environmental, and spiritual themes.
2023 Judges Picks
Each year every Judge on our panel is able to choose just one artist outside of the Grand Prize Winner and two Runners-Up whose project really stood out to them and deserves a special mention. This year’s Picks are listed below and will be exhibited online & at our pop-up in London in December.
Alisa Martynova | Nowhere Near
“I loved the dream-like state of this series, which acts as an intriguing entry point into a subject matter that is often conventionally covered. The idea of transforming each immigrants’ journey, and hopes or dreams for the future into a more poetic, visually arresting narrative is an interesting one.” – Caroline Hunter
Selected by Caroline Hunter
Picture Editor, The Guardian
Chloé Milos Azzopardi | Non Technological Devices
“Beyond their clear aesthetic beauty, what struck me most about Chloe Milos Azzopardi’s pictures in this series is how profoundly moving they are. Gently visually reminiscent of the cult performance and land artists of the 60s and 70s (arguably one of the most seminal periods of experimentation and discovery in photo history), these works are likely to linger with viewers in a similar way, buzzing with a certain prophetic energy. What I love about them most is how they almost seem to have tumbled from some eco-sci-fi film or book, offering us an emotive vision of our humanity and how we connect with the environment today.“ – Joanna Cresswell
Selected by Joanna Cresswell
Writer, researcher and editor
Claudia Revidat | Women of Fire
“Claudia Revidat isn’t just a photographer; she’s a storyteller who wields her lens to unfold intricate tapestries of human emotion and experience. Her “Women of Fire,” is a visual symphony that celebrates the astonishing resilience and ethereal beauty of Ethiopian women from the Mursi tribe. Claudia plunges deep into their world, capturing not just their faces but their spirits, alight with enduring strength and poignant vulnerability. With an alchemist’s touch, she merges color, texture, and symbolism, creating multi-dimensional canvases that draw you into each woman’s unique narrative. Her images are more than mere snapshots; they are vibrant calls to empathy, offering a glimpse into lives led far from our own but intrinsically connected through our shared humanity. Through “Women of Fire,” Claudia amplifies voices too often silenced, reminding us all of the transformative power of art as a vehicle for change.” – Alessia Glaviano
Selected by Alessia Glaviano
Head of global PhotoVogue
Ioanna Sakellaraki | The Seven Circuits of a Pearl
“The Seven Circuits of a Pearl takes so many facets and mixes them together in a poignant, moving, intelligent and informed way creating a beautiful blend of photographic skill and emotion. The project is highly personal blending photographic and mixed media which beautifully aligns the artists journey from her Greek home to Australia, with the journeys of her late father and his life as a sailor, and the journey of the treasured pearl. Her use of archival reflection places the pearl at the heart of this project which allows her to explore not only relationships within her own family, but that of empire and marine ecology creating a wide reaching and intelligent outcome.” – Tracy Marshall-Grant
Selected by Tracy Marshall-Grant
Arts Director, Curator & Producer
Sander Coers | POST
“I’m delighted to select Sander Coers project POST as my Judges Pick – taking Coers grandparents’ family album as it’s starting point (or prompt), the artist expertly uses AI to expand on the imagery within, both challenging our perceptions of memory, and creating a new world not experienced by its’ historic inhabitants. The same, but different. Like a false memory, what is a truthful representation and what is fiction becomes blurred. Blending the old with the new, and the digital with the physical, the work’s focus on using new technology to re-write the past, both intrigues and unnerves.” – Rosie Wadey
Selected by Rosie Wadey
Photography Agent and Founder, Companion Artists Ltd.
Spencer Glover | The Chosen People
“I was instantly taken by Spencer’s project, ‘The chosen people’. The juxtaposition of vintage archive work and contemporary images struck a chord and straight away I began to think about how I would curate and produce the work for exhibition. I kept thinking about the images after the judging and I am absolutely delighted that he has been recognised and selected this year.” – Professor Steven MacLeod
Selected by Professor Steven MacLeod
Artist & Creative Director, Metro Imaging
Toma Gerzha | ctrl + r
“I said I would be looking for simple, human interest stories that would give me an insight into a topic or place that was unfamiliar or that I’d never considered. Toma’s story did that. The ideas underpinning the project were nuanced and quite complex but the images brought them to life in an immediate, visceral way. There was a strong sense of narrative, a stylistic consistency, and a specific mood that really transported me to these locations. I really liked a handful of other quite similar stories that also did this and it was a really tough choice, but for Toma to demonstrate such a strong story-telling instinct at such a relatively tender age is particularly impressive.” – Ben Smith
Selected by Ben Smith
Artist & Podcaster
Tamara Eckhardt | Youth of the Island Field
“Tamara Eckhardt portrays the lives of the young people of St Mary’s Park, continuing her focus on the theme of childhood and growing up. The living conditions in the area are difficult; yet the young people develop coping skills, adapt and find ways to divert themselves. Eckhardt has revisited the estate over a two year period becoming more familiar with the community. She has spent so much time with the young people that they have come to suspend suspicion and trust in her and her camera.“ – Tamara Eckhardt
Selected by Tom Page
Gallery Director and Co-founder, Open Doors Gallery
OD Photo Prize, 2023 | Shortlist
Alongside all the brilliant photographic artists featured above, we are delighted to reveal the remaining set of artists who will be part of our online exhibition that opens in November. Priced affordably, this show is the perfect opportunity to collect emerging artists work.
Stay tuned for more on these artists in the coming weeks via our Discovery account:
Tomasz Kawecki
Mohamed Hassan
Phil Hill
Jamie Murray
Hady Barry
Jude Lartey
Jillian Freyer
Gloria Oyarzabal
Owen McCarter
Laura Chen
Laura Foster
Kin Coedel
Rory King
Fion Hung Ching Yan
OD Photo Prize | Winter Exhibition
30 November – 2 December, 2023
Photo Book Cafe
4 Leonard Circus • London • EC2A 4DQ
OD Photo Prize, 2023 | Long list
Below is the full list of artists that were selected for the second round of voting this year. Please follow and investigate each one as the quality is so high and each artist has a unique story to tell.
Last but not least, thank you so much to everyone who took time to prepare and submit their work this year. We hope to see all of you and more next year.
Chiron Guong
Francisco Gonzalez Camacho
Kalel Koven
Gabrielle Avancini
Wendy Symons
Louis Little
Aria Shahrokhshahi
Deb
Emilia Martin
Federico Arcangeli
Svante Gullichsen
Maite de Orbe
Mario Heller
Laurent Henrion
Nuno Serrão
Irena Menk
Yanyan Zhao
JiangLei
Constance Koningsberger
Nanouk Prins
Johannes Baudrexel
Zara Carpenter
Ada Marino
Annalaura Palma
Yuanbo Chen
Cheryl Newman
Heather Agyepong
Jacopo Papucci
Andrej Lamut
Benedetta Casagrande
Simone Padelli
Fernanda Del Barrio
Magda Kuca
Anika Spereiter
Joseph Rovegno
Beihua Guo
Joe Dixey
Maki Hayashida
Austn Fisher
Cinzia Laliscia
Claudia Fuggetti
Benjamin Dickey
Matej Jurčević
Yuxing Chen
Oliver Mayhall
Lily Anne Barton
Antonina Mamzenko
Aindreas Scholz
Rachel Wallace
Daria Svertilova
Ludmilla De Luca Perazzi
Jill Bemis
Jacob Stephen Black
Guy Bellingham FRPS
Noah Thompson
Marco Marinucci
BABAK KAZEMI
Dominic Ashton
Giulia Degasperi
Lala Serrano
Constanza Valderrama
Kate Schultze
Dario Mannucci
Teva
Bethan Evans
Marcin T. Jozefiak
Ezhingel
Eliza Bourner
Sasha Hitchcock
Cristian Geelen
Andrés Mario de Varona
Eva Watkins
Kevin Bennett Moore
Pablo Mejia
DMT
David Sanya
Olga Steinepreis
Ellen Stewart
Sam Wright
Ragan Henderson
Viktoriia Sukhova