Are photographic prizes worth it?

What are the criteria for your curation at Palm Studios? What are you looking for? 

That’s a hard question as so much of the curation is based on what each image makes me feel. I know it sounds really cheesy but there are no “tips” on what to submit. I think Palm* has a specific aesthetic and it’s always worth looking at past years’ shortlists and photographers I feature on Palm* weekly to get an idea of what that is. When it comes to the book curation each project is very different and I work closely with photographers on the edits and sequencing.

“I discovered my love for photography in my late 20s and I didn’t really feel like I had a place within the industry. I simply wanted to build something to share and exchange with others.” – Lola Paprocka

Where there any other similar initiatives or projects that inspired you to start Palm* Photo Prize? Was there a gap in the industry that you wanted to fill? 

My main inspiration was the Independent Photography Festival (IPF) run by my friend Joe Miranda in Melbourne, Australia a few years ago. I joined them in running the London edition in 2015 and after the festival finished I really wanted to continue the submission based Prize as that was my favourite part of the festival. It has evolved and changed but the core idea stayed the same – t’s for everyone and it’s free to submit!

What makes a photographer create a prize for other photographers? 

I discovered my love for photography in my late 20s and I didn’t really feel like I had a place within the industry. I simply wanted to build something to share and exchange with others. The process was quite organic, it started with books and exhibitions and then came the Prize along with lots of other side little projects.

Can you tell us a bit about the prize? 

This year is the 5th year of the Palm* Prize! I am planning to work on the 2023 edition but I am trying to restructure it and get some more people involved. As I am not charging for the entries it’s not really sustainable financially. The prize continues to grow every year and so does the workload. Our business model is terrible… [laughs]

I do have amazing partners like Spectrum who print the whole show, Picter who let me use their amazing software for the submissions and INK who supported the cash prize this year. Canvas Represents is doing a mentorship, Lock Production have been looking after the production of the event and i-D has been super supportive with sharing the news on their channels. I could not do it without all of them!

What was the process of putting it together? 

The submissions are open for one month and I go through them daily as they come in. After the submissions close I go through the whole thing a few more times to make sure I have not missed anything in the first rounds. This year I received over 6800 photos so it does take a few weeks. After I have made my initial selection I continue to narrow it down until I have around 100 images left. I share it with a couple of trusted artists & friends to get their opinion. That is when I put it to the judging panel and the finalists and winners get chosen.

“Being a freelance photographer is definitely not easy but it’s the best job I ever had. ” – Lola Paprocka

Why was it important that the audience votes as well? 

There is the people’s choice award voted by the audience and there are also the judges’ panel awards. I think it’s really great for other photographers, the audience and the guests at the exhibition to get involved. It also opens it up to people who are based outside of London to see it online and cast a vote too. Submissions come from all over the world (118 countries to be exact) and so do the votes! I have a great list of judges that pick the 1st and 2nd place winners.

The judges:

• Gem Fletcher – Writer, Photo Editor and Podcaster 
• Alastair McKimm – Editor-in-Chief of i-D 
• Prarthna Singh – Photographer 
• Mahmoud ‘Mo’ Mfinanga – Photographer, Writer and founder of Emmazed 
• Jonathan Tusder – Senior Photo agent at Canvas Represents

Do you think the job of a photographer today is hard? 

Being a freelance photographer is definitely not easy but it’s the best job I ever had. There will be busy months and months when you end up questioning your life choices. At times, it’s hard to balance commercial work and personal projects along with life. But I do think it’s the best job in the world. The best part of it is travelling and meeting new people all the time. None of the jobs is the same and you’re always learning new things about your craft and how to adapt to new situations.

“There are so many amazing people working today that you really need to push yourself to get out there. You do need a mix of talent, timing, people skills and lots of persistence.” – Lola Paprocka

You are part of a photography duo. How is it to work with someone else?

It happened so organically for us that I don’t see many cons. We have had a similar aesthetic from the start and after all these years of working together, it has solidified. We both shoot and then edit the best images. It doesn’t matter to us who pressed the button. I tend to work closer with stylists and do production. Pani’s background is in lighting and post-production so between us we have most angles covered.

“Prizes are really helpful and you get to connect with like-minded people from all over the world through a common interest so, from a photographer’s perspective, I recommend submitting.” – Lola Paprocka

This is a bit of a big question but, how easy is it for an art and documentary photographer to survive from her art today? 

Most art photographers who don’t sell a lot of their work would have a second job. The industry is keen to have art photographers making commercial work but the competition is very high. There are so many amazing people working today that you really need to push yourself to get out there. You do need a mix of talent, timing, people skills and lots of persistence.

“I have received loads of feedback and messages from the shortlisted artists that they landed a job or commission after being shortlisted. Prizes can help with getting your work out there to a larger audience.” – Lola Paprocka

Do you think prizes like this are essential for emerging artists, in order for the audience to see their work? 

I can only speak from my personal positive experience of photo prizes. I sent my work into the original IPF back in the day. It’s how I started. Prizes are really helpful and you get to connect with like-minded people from all over the world through a common interest so, from a photographer’s perspective, I recommend submitting. I have received loads of feedback and messages from the shortlisted artists that they landed a job or commission after being shortlisted. Prizes can help with getting your work out there to a larger audience. We also run a mentorship program with Canvas Represents to help one of the shortlisted artists with their portfolio and to learn about the industry.

What were the main takeaways from the whole process behind the photo prize? What did you discover and where do you see it going? 

Each year there is a new wave of amazing image-makers coming to light and thankfully through The Palm* Photo Prize, I am exposed to so much new talent. It’s amazing to see that I get submissions from all over the world. Physically seeing the statistics on a map really puts it in perspective. I would love to keep going and collaborate with a bigger art institution in the future. I want to give wider exposure to the shortlisted artists. I’d love to create an annual catalogue to go with the exhibition. It would be great to run artists’ talks, and panel discussions to expand into a larger scale event, and yes I’m very open to big sponsors to support it… [Laughs]

You can visit the Palm* Photo Prize exhibition until the 5th of June!