EyeEm announces this year’s 100 award finalists

EyeEm is currently the world’s largest photography competition, and this year it welcomed a record 700,000 entries. The submissions came from more than 100,000 photographers, hailing from over 150 countries, who have now been whittled down to 100 finalists.

The daunting task of selecting the finalists from this number came down to a panel of industry experts that included Nik Schulte, Image Director of High Snobiety; Jose Cabaco, the Global Creative Concept & Storytelling Director at Adidas; Lucy Pike, Director of Photography at WeTransfer; and Sasha Dudkina, last year’s EyeEm Photographer of the Year, among others. Together, they selected the top 10 images from each of the nine categories, and the 10 shortlisted photographers for Photographer of the Year.

© Juan Manuel Molina Avilés

Among the diverse categories are ‘The Architect’, ‘The Creative’, and ‘The Traveller’, with shortlisted images ranging from Juan Manuel Molina Avilés’ eerie photograph of a man with his head submerged under a tap in ‘The Creative’ category; Maxym Gorodetskyy’s depiction of far-right protesters baring #freetommy posters, and fighting for the release of ex-EDL leader Tommy Robinson in ‘The Photojournalist’ section; and Michael Schauer’s powerful photograph of a boat making its way through a field of ice in ‘The Great Outdoors’ category. The selection does well in covering all photographic bases.

© Michael Schauer

The photographers on the shortlist for Photographer of the Year include Ana Vallejo, Anne Nobels, and LashaFox. All of whom employ different techniques and approaches to photography, from documentary and portrait styles, to still lives.

This year marks the fifth EyeEm photography awards, and the official ceremony will be held at the inaugural Berlin Photo Week in mid-October, where the top 10 images from each of the nine categories, along with work by the 10 shortlisted photographers for Photographer of the Year, will be exhibited. Here, the winners will also be announced.

© Veysel Erbin

The Photographer of the Year will be in attendance at the event, and is set to receive a trip to Berlin for the photo week, a Sony Alpha camera, and mentorship throughout the year by senior photo editors. All winners will be featured, exhibited and published on a global scale. The reach of the EyeEm award reflects diverse forms of photography, from everywhere in the world.

Find out more here.

© Maximilian Schulz
© Samart Imkham
© Mohit Vijh
© Ngoc Van Anh Nguyen
© Nina Zimolong
© Kate Phellini
© Ana Vallejo
© LashaFox
© Farhan Hussain
© William Kane Olwit