The 2020 Paris Photo-Aperture Foundation PhotoBook Awards

Initiated in November 2012 by Aperture Foundation and Paris Photo, the Paris Photo–Aperture Foundation PhotoBook Awards celebrate the photobook’s contribution to the evolving narrative of photography, with three major categories: First PhotoBook, PhotoBook of the Year, and Photography Catalogue of the Year. In this unprecedented year, it is all the more critical to be able to highlight excellence in book making and the creative output of the global photobook community. We look forward to sharing the shortlisted books in exhibition and in an expanded online presentation — and to announcing the winners in November.

What winners receive

The First PhotoBook Prize: 
A $10,000 prize will be awarded to the photographer(s)/artist(s) whose first finished, publicly available photobook is judged to be the best of the year. Twenty books from this category will be selected for the shortlist, presented to the Jury for the final selection and exhibited during Paris Photo.

The PhotoBook of the Year Prize: 
This prize will be awarded to the photographer(s)/artist(s), and publisher responsible, for the photobook judged to be the best of the year. Ten books from this category will be selected for the shortlist, presented to the Jury for the final selection and exhibited during Paris Photo.

The Photography Catalogue of the Year Prize:

Awarded to the publication, publisher, and/or organizing institution responsible for the exhibition catalogue or museum publication judged to be the best of the year. Five books from this category will be selected for the shortlist, presented to the Jury for the final selection and exhibited during Paris Photo.

The shortlisted books, accompanied by the jury’s comments, will be featured in the fall 2020 edition of The PhotoBook Review issue 018 (published by Aperture Foundation), to be released at Paris Photo and mailed to Aperture magazine subscribers. Additional content and features for the shortlisted books will appear on aperture.org.

Entry Fees

• First PhotoBook: $30 per book
• PhotoBook of the Year: $60 for first entry from a given publisher, $30 for each subsequent entry from the same publisher
• Photography Catalogue of the Year: $60 for first entry from a given publisher, $30 for each subsequent entry from the same publisher