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Discovering, promoting and rewarding the work of exceptional women photographers.

Female in Focus

Back for its fourth edition, Female in Focus champions the work of world-class women photographers across the world.

Awareness around gender inequality in the industry may be growing. But the numbers aren’t changing fast enough.

Globally, 70-80% of photography students are women — yet they account for only 13-15% of professional photographers.

Why enter

Get exhibited in a group show

20 images and two bodies of work will be exhibited in a group show. Previous venues include Artspace in New York City and Green Space Miami. 

Get judged by industry leaders

Past years have included leading women from The New Yorker, Women Photographers International Archive (WOPHA) and international galleries and publications.

Receive international press coverage

Past winners have been featured in Vogue Italia, The Guardian, The Times and more.

Prize list

Prize list

Stories Category

  • Two winning series will be exhibited as part of a group show in the US and UK
  • Your work will be shared with our extensive national and international press list
  • Be featured on 1854.photography
  • Have your work judged by industry leaders

Single Image Category

  • 20 winning images will be exhibited as part of the group show in the US and UK
  • Your work will be shared with our extensive national and international press list
  • Be featured on 1854.photography
  • Have your work judged by industry leaders

Stories Category

  • Two winning series will be exhibited as part of a group show in New York
  • Winners from this category will be flown to New York for the opening of the exhibition, with return flights and two nights of accommodation included
  • Receive international press coverage
  • Be featured on 1854.photography

Single Image Category

  • 20 winning images will be exhibited as part of the group show
  • Receive international press coverage
  • Be featured on 1854.photography
  • Have your work judged by industry leaders

Judges

Each year Female in Focus is judged by a panel of leading international women in photography.

Polly Irungu

Founder, Black Women Photographers

Karla Guerrero

Founder, Femgrafía

Nazik Armenakyan

Co-Founder & Chief Editor, 4Plus

Victoria Jonathan

Co-Founder & Director, Doors 门艺

Alessia Locatelli

Artistic Director, Women Photography Biennal (Italy)

Katy Barron

Chair of the Board of Directors, Photofusion

Jekaterina Saveljeva

Founder, femLENS

Natasha Egan

Executive Director, Museum of Contemporary Photography at Columbia College Chicago (MoCP)

Koral Carballo

Photographer and Visual Artist, RUDA Colectiva Representative

Melissa Bunni Elian

Authority Collective Board President and Photography Fellow at National Geographic

What embodies home to you? 

Consider home as repetition. Consider home as spontaneity.

Pairing with our upcoming British Journal of Photography print issue, themed Home, Female in Focus 2022 calls on photographers across the world to consider the many shapes and forms our sense of home can take, and how this may have evolved throughout the drastically changing landscape of recent years. 

Home as an object.

Home as a community.

Home as a state of mind.

Female in Focus 2022 is split between two categories: the Series Category and the Single Image Category.
Series Category entries allow for the inclusion of up to 10 images.

Themes and Submissions

Hear from our past winners

Winners

Meet the photographers whose work has smashed through the glass ceiling. Many are now internationally established names.

Free applications for photographers in non-high-income locations

Photographers located in non-high-income countries can apply to Female in Focus 2022 for free. Are you eligible? See the list of qualifying countries, and complete the form via the link below.

Media Partners:

Frequently Asked Questions

What happens if the exhibition is unable to go ahead due to COVID-19?

The team is very aware of potential complications caused by hosting a physical exhibition. We will be working with the gallery/exhibition space to accommodate any changes that occur as a result. When the exhibition does go ahead, it will be under the guidelines provided by the government at the time.

What benefit is there for me to enter if the exhibition doesn’t go ahead due to COVID-19?

Should the exhibition not be able to go ahead, the 1854 team is dedicated to ensuring that your work still receives exposure through digital outputs via the 1854 Network, international publicity and other opportunities to help your practice grow.

I have lost the email with my entry link

If you have lost your entry, use the reset form here, to send a reminder to your email address.

Can I pay by PayPal / Cheque / Cash?

We can only accept entries paid for with a credit or debit card online

Can I enter more than once?

Yes, you may enter as many times as you choose.

I have a promotional code, how can I use it?

Please first choose the type of entry you wish to make (eg, one series entry). On the next page you will be able to enter your promotional code, and after submitting that form you will see your discount applied.

I have a promotional code, but it doesn’t work?

Please note that most codes are time-limited. If the deadline for using your code has passed, it will not be usable.

I bought too many entries / ran out of time, can I get a refund?

Sorry, but all entry fees are non-refundable, as stated in the terms and conditions that you accepted on entry.

Can I upgrade my entry?

No unfortunately we can not upgrade your entry once a purchase has been made

The entry system is saying that my entry has already been claimed when I haven’t entered. What do I do?

You may have already received an email from us with your entry link. If so, submit your images through the link provided.

I am an 1854 Access member, why am I being asked to pay for my entries?

You will need to click on the members log in section on the submission platform, and enter your membership number in order to submit your entries.

Have my images uploaded correctly?

If your images have been uploaded correctly you will see a small version of each photo on the entry page, alongside the caption you entered. If you cannot see your photo, then your image has not been uploaded correctly. If a caption has been stored but no image, you can delete it using the Edit option.

I can’t upload my images – I see a green bar, it says 100%, but that’s it

Our image uploader is designed to work with all modern web browsers, but some – in particular, Internet Explorer 11 – aren’t able to use it. If you are unable to upload your images please either download a modern browser (we recommend Google Chrome).

Can I send my photos by email / WeTransfer / on DVD / some other way

We can only accept images that are uploaded using our entry system. This ensures that each one is logged with your entry details, and made available to our judges.

I uploaded one image, and now want to go back to upload more, but the system will not let me do so – what’s wrong?

Either the award deadline has passed, or you have previously submitted your entry to the judges. In order to do so you will have read a notice warning you, and ticked a box confirming your understanding that doing so would prevent you from making any further changes.

There isn’t enough room for my image title or other text

Please note the maximum lengths that apply to these texts. The length limits are noted on the form used to enter them and are given in characters (letters), not words.

I can’t see the option to submit my entry

The Submit button appears at the top of your entry page once you have uploaded at least one image.

What happens when I submit my entry?

Your entry will be confirmed on a web page after submitting, and then we will send you a confirmation email, and your images (along with their captions, statements etc) are stored, ready to be viewed by the judges.

I have submitted my entry – can I change it?

No, once your entry has been submitted you may no longer alter it in any way.

Could you please check my images / text / entry?

Due to the sheer volume of entries, we are unable to check entries on an individual basis. Please ensure that you are happy with your images and statement before submitting them.

Can you please provide an invoice for my entry?

Your entry confirmation email includes a full VAT invoice, we can not provide any other invoice request

Female in Focus is an award dedicated to celebrating women in photography. We welcome entries from a multitude of female voices, including anyone who identifies as a woman.

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Professional and non-professional photographers from all over the world are eligible to enter.

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Images can be shot using any camera model (film or digital) or electronic device, and images may be portrait, landscape or square in format.

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Each entrant will be deemed to warrant that they own the entire copyright for the work or that they have permission from the licensee and/or copyright owner/s for the use.

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Each image can be a maximum of 10MB in size. All images must be submitted as JPEG files – any files submitted in any other format (including TIFF, PDF, PSD etc) will be discarded.

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You may submit a title (200 character limit) and caption (750 character limit) for each photograph entered. For the Stories Category, you can also provide an artist’s statement (1000 character limit). All accompanying text must be written in English.

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Deadline: 7th April 2022, 23:59 UK time.

Entrants have an additional 24 hours following this deadline to finalise and submit their entry.

Judging will take place shortly after the deadline.

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There is no time frame for the images

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Images do not need to feature a woman as the subject to be eligible for this award.

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Once your images and captions have been uploaded to the system you will see an option to submit your entry. Once submitted, your entry cannot be altered. Only submitted entries will be viewed by the judges.

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The winners must be available to supply high-res files promptly for publication.

 

Digital files of the winning images will be created for press and publicity purposes.

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1854 Media & British Journal of Photography cannot be responsible for any loss or damage to submitted work.

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No copyright is transferred to 1854 Media & British Journal of Photography in respect of any works entered or accepted.

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1854 Media & British Journal of Photography reserve the right to display, reproduce and publish in any media, any entry, without payment, for the sole purpose of Female in Focus – this year and in future – and its promotion and publicity.

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The 2022 exhibition locations will be confirmed at a later date, please stay up to date with 1854 on social media and email for further related announcements

 

1854 Media will organise and cover costs from the framing, printing and production of the Female in Focus show.

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A selection of images will be published through 1854 Media & British Journal of Photography digital channels.

Winners will be invited to include their work in a dedicated NFT drop with our trusted partners, ART3.io. Participation in this sale is not compulsory as a condition of winning.

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You will be asked to pay for your entry by Credit Card. All payments are handled securely by our payment partner Stripe. After payment, you will receive an email containing a personal upload URL, where you may submit your images and statement.

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All entry purchases are final. Having purchased an entry, it is your responsibility to upload and submit your images and statement before the deadline. No refunds will be issued.

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In order to receive your award status, you must be subscribed to the Awards Communications list on our mailing system. If you have not received your status after the deadline, you must simply resubscribe by filling out a form to our newsletter list.

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Please note that 1854 Access members entering awards as part of their membership (as opposed to a paid entry) will be required to remain a member throughout the periods when awards are judged and exhibitions/outputs are planned, for their entries to be eligible.

All entries are subject to 1854 Media’s General Competition Terms and Conditions

Our mission is to empower women photographers the world over to own their own stories.