African Photobook of the Year Awards Rules

Initiated by the EIGER FOUNDATION in September 2021, the EIGER FOUNDATION AFRICAN PHOTOBOOK OF THE YEAR AWARDS celebrates the photobook’s contribution to the evolving narrative of photography, with a focus on the African continent.

1.   Conditions for Entry

  • The EIGER FOUNDATION AFRICAN PHOTOBOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD distinguishes a book in which the dominant content is photography, featuring the work of one or more photographer(s).
  • The book must be produced in physical form.
  • Books must be produced or published between January 1, 2022, and June 1, 2024.
  • Entries for either award may only be submitted by the photographer, the publisher, or a third party acting with the consent of the photographer.
  • Books must be by an African photographer or a publisher established on the African continent.
  • Books on an African theme by non-African photographers or non-African publishers are also admitted.
  • Exhibition catalogues or museum publications, as well as text-only publications, are not eligible.
  • The book may comprise photographs of any genre or topic.

2.   How to Enter

  • You can generate your submission form via the form on this page before June, 1, 2024.
  • Please note that you will need to provide the following information on the submittable entry form:
    • Book title, year of publication, and publisher information
    • Book blurb, a short description/summary of the book
    • The photographer or author’s name
    • Book dimensions, number of pages
    • Distribution information
    • An image or render of the book cover (JPG file)
    • A digital copy of your book in PDF format
  • There is no fee for the entry for the Eiger Foundation African Photobook of the Year Awards

By submitting your work to the EIGER FOUNDATION AFRICAN PHOTOBOOK OF THE YEAR AWARDS, you are found to be in agreement of the terms and conditions.

3. Prizes

  • A $12,500  prize will be awarded to the photographer(s)/artist(s) whose finished, publicly available photobook is judged to be the best of the year.
  • A list of books will be selected for the shortlist, presented on the EIGER FOUNDATION website accompanied by the jury’s comments. The three runner-ups of the shortlisted photographers will receive a prize of $2,500 each.
  • The shortlist will be produced on, or before, the 1 September 2024, and the winner will be announced shortly after.

4. Terms and Conditions

By submitting your work to the EIGER FOUNDATION AFRICAN PHOTOBOOK OF THE YEAR AWARDS, you are found to be in agreement of the terms and conditions listed below:

  • EIGER FOUNDATION shall have the right to acquire a physical copy of the book from competitors as part of the judging process.
  • The judges’ decisions shall be final. No correspondence shall be entered into by the EIGER FOUNDATION, nor its representatives, regarding the decisions of the judges.
  • Entries must be made by the photographer(s) responsible for the given book, by the publisher responsible for the given book, or by a third party acting with consent of the photographer(s)/artist(s).
  • While copyright of all work submitted for these awards remains with the respective entrants, the entrant grants to the EIGER FOUNDATION a worldwide, irrevocable, and perpetual license to reproduce representative examples of the submitted entries in any of their publications, websites, and/or in any promotional material, strictly in connection with the award, and with reference to the photographer(s) and publisher, as relevant in each case; and to exhibit the books entered anywhere in the world for public display.
  • EIGER FOUNDATION reserves the right to reject entries that are submitted without the required information, or that do not meet the criteria of eligibility, without any obligation to enter into any further discussion regarding their decisions.
  • EIGER FOUNDATION accepts no responsibility for entries that are lost in transit. Representatives of the EIGER FOUNDATION are not available to review unsolicited materials received, except as entered via these awards.
  • The EIGER FOUNDATION is not responsible for the return of submissions. All books submitted to the awards remain the property of EIGER FOUNDATION and will become part of the EIGER FONDATION library.
  • Details of particular entries may be, at the discretion of the EIGER FOUNDATION, released to the press as part of marketing the awards, including before the announcement of the awards.
  • Applicants warrant that the entry submission is the original work of the photographer and, as such, the artist is the sole and exclusive owner and rights holder of the submitted work, and that the party submitting has the right to submit the work to these awards and grant all required licenses. Each entrant agrees not to submit any entry that (1) infringes any third party’s proprietary rights, intellectual property rights, industrial property rights, personal or moral rights or any other rights, including without limitation, copyright, trademark, patent, trade secret, privacy, publicity, or confidentiality obligations; and (2) otherwise violates the applicable state, federal, provincial, or local law.
  • No exceptions will be made for late submissions.