Coming in Spring 2027

Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize 2027

Wed 10 Mar 2027 - Sun 06 Jun 2027

The Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize returns in 2027! The shortlisted artists are Hoda Afshar, Lotus L. Kang, Sasha Kurmaz and Salvatore Vitale.
 

A slideshow of each shortlisted artist's name.

Coming in Spring 2027

Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize 2027

Wed 10 Mar 2027 - Sun 06 Jun 2027

The Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize returns in 2027! The shortlisted artists are Hoda Afshar, Lotus L. Kang, Sasha Kurmaz and Salvatore Vitale.
 

Just announced! The 2027 artists are: Hoda Afshar, Lotus L. Kang, Sasha Kurmaz and Salvatore Vitale.

This year's shortlisted projects feature photography, film and sound, sculptural installations, archival photographs and materials, and handmade collage.

The compelling shortlist examines how images shape our understanding of bodies, war, labour and power. Together the shortlisted artists investigate desire and memory; the human costs of the digital economy; surviving in times of conflict; and the politics in the act of looking.
 

Hoda Afshar (b. 1983, Tehran, Iran) is shortlisted for the exhibition Performing the Invisible at the Musée du Quai Branly – Jacques Chirac, Paris, France (30 September 2025 – 25 January 2026).

Lotus L. Kang (b. 1985, Toronto, Canada) is shortlisted for the exhibition The face of desire is loss at the Bulgari Pavilion, 61st Venice Biennale, Italy (9 May – 22 November 2026).

Sasha Kurmaz (b. 1986 Kyiv, Ukraine) is shortlisted for the publication Red Horse, published by Éditions Images Vevey in November 2025.

Salvatore Vitale (b. 1986, Palermo, Italy) is shortlisted for the exhibition SABOTAGE at Photo Elysée, Lausanne, Switzerland (6 March – 31 May 2026).

The exhibition of selected work from the four artists' shortlisted projects will be at The Photographers' Gallery from 10 March to 6 June 2027. It will then be on display at the Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation in Eschborn/Frankfurt from 19 June to 26 September 2027. 

2027 marks the 30th anniversary of the first prize giving. The Prize identifies and rewards artists for an exhibition or book in Europe that has made a significant contribution to photography in the past 12 months. The winner will be announced in April 2027 and will receive a £30,000 prize, with each of the other shortlisted artists receiving £5,000.

Installation photo of a screen showing a room full of boxes. A person can be seen watching this screen.

Hoda Afshar

Through a combination of photographs, drawings, mirrors, videos and sound installations, Hoda Afshar explores the history of established perspectives and photography as a tool of revelation and resistance.

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Installation image of Lotus L Kang’s work in situ at the Giardini della Biennale, Venice. In the photo, there are multiple glass bottles arranged next to a window.

Lotus L. Kang

Combining photography, film and sculpture, Lotus L. Kang's immersive installation looks at how bodies change over time, what we remember and what gets lost along the way.

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Scan of a collage featuring two photographs: one image being a close up of a man’s bloodshot eyes and injured face, the second image a burnt out building.

Sasha Kurmaz

Sasha Kurmaz's diaristic journey into war tells the deeply personal story of his life, alongside the lives of those around him who are struggling to survive in constant danger.

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Colour film still of a man holding an ipad in his hands with the aim of hitting it against the rocky ground that he stands on.

Salvatore Vitale

Salvatore Vitale examines the hidden human labour sustaining the digital economy, questioning the systems of automation, surveillance and algorithmic control that increasingly shape contemporary working conditions.

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The 2027 jury

This year's jury is:
 
Laia Abril, multidisciplinary artist

Damarice Amao, Associate Curator for Photography at the Musée National d’Art Moderne / Centre Pompidou

Verónica Fieiras, artist, editor and publisher (CHACO)

Anne-Marie Beckmann, Director, Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation 

Shoair Mavlian, Director, The Photographers’ Gallery 

 

Learn more about the members of the jury here
 

The Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize   
 

Founded in 1996 by The Photographers’ Gallery, the Prize has become one of the most prestigious international arts awards and has launched and established the careers of many photographers over the years. The Gallery has been in collaboration with Deutsche Börse Group since 2005. In 2016 the Prize was retitled the Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize, following the establishment of the Foundation as a non-profit organisation, dedicated to collecting, exhibiting and promoting contemporary photography.

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Colour screen shot of a web page showing The Photographers' Gallery online archive

Archive

Our new digital archive documents the Gallery’s rich history as a place for exhibiting and learning about photography.