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Photobook Awards

Building on the success of the 2023 edition of Photo|Frome, photographers and publishers are invited to submit photobooks and zines for exhibition at the festival and a chance to win the 2025 Open Photobook award.

Entries will be selected by a distinguished panel of judges, details below. Photobooks will be exhibited at Frome Library, and online, throughout the festival.

Entrants may support their submission with an optional written statement outlining how their book relates to this year’s theme – inEquality – as well as how they have considered sustainability within the production of their book. Read more about our theme here.

Categories & Awards

  • Festival Winner | £500 will be awarded for the strongest submission, published or self-published, which also resonates with this year’s festival theme – inEquality.
  • Sustainability | A special commendation for the book project that has involved exemplary practice, or innovation, in relation to sustainable photobook publishing.  
  • Unpublished works | Unpublished photobook dummies, maquettes and unique artists books can be submitted digitally and will be exhibited on the Photo|Frome website throughout the festival. The winning photographer will receive a portfolio review with VIKA Books and 2023’s overall Photobook winner, Rehab Eldalil.
  • Get your work seen by industry experts.
  • Have your book displayed to a public audience.
  • Be featured on Photo|Frome’s social media streams.
  • The chance to win a substantial prize and award title.

Is there a fee?

There is no fee to submit your work.

What happens to my book after the festival?

Submissions accompanied with return envelope and pre-paid postage will be returned after the festival.  

The selected entries will be accessioned to the libraries and collections of our partners.

Can I sell copies of my book?

No. But your contact details, website and social media etc. can be shared if you wish.

Can I submit more than one entry?

Due to space constraints, unless you are a publisher acting on behalf of your authors, you may only submit one entry for exhibition at the Library and consideration for the overall prize.

You can submit different entries for the exhibition, and the Book Dummies and eBook award

Entries assume your agreement to our statement on artist rights. 

Please see Photo|Frome’s terms & conditions statement. Entrant’s email address will automatically be added to our mailing list unless we are specifically requested not to do so. Please also see Photo|Frome’s policy on the use of AI (Artificial Intelligence).

You must complete an online submission form, link on the page, above:

PUBLISHED / self-published books and zines for consideration for exhibition at Frome Library

UNPUBLISHED book dummies, maquettes, artists books and eBooks for consideration for exhibition on the Photo|Frome website

Deadline for the submission of both categories, and delivery of any books to Frome Library is 14 February 2025.

If you are shipping your book, use paper-based packaging that can be recycled most easily.

Judging is by the announced team. Decisions are final, and correspondence will be limited to winners and commended artists.  

w/c 10 November – announce Open Photobook Award

17 February – submission deadline

17 March – online exhibition of unpublished eBooks and Dummies launched.

6 April  – 27 April 27 exhibition

Deadline is Monday, 17 February, 2025

ENTRIES CLOSED

MPB is Photo|Frome’s Official Sponsor, the largest global platform to buy, sell and trade used photo and video gear.

Arts Council England Photo|Frome is supported using public funding by the National lottery through Arts Council England.

Frome Town Council is Photo|Frome’s Local partner.

Judges

Rehab Eldalil was the winner of Photo|Frome’s 2023 inaugural photobook award. She is a documentary photographer and educator whose work focuses on the broad theme of identity explored through participatory creative practices. Her work spans personal projects, NGO collaborations, and publications, focusing on human interest stories and environmental issues in the SWANA region. To date, she has published two photographic publications and contributed to many others. In addition, Rehab’s work has been published in numerous international outlets including New York Times Magazine, National Geographic Magazine and Huffpost. Her work has earned numerous prestigious awards including World Press Photo 2022, Fotoevidence 2022, Photo|Frome 2023, Foam Talents 2024, Lucie Awards 2024 among others. Her work has been exhibited internationally including Egypt, Italy, USA, UAE, Germany, Uruguay, The Netherlands among others. Rehab is a founding member of aka TAWLA, a photo book collective that promotes and produces publications focused on the SWANA region.
 
Victoria Forrest is a celebrated graphic designer and director of VIKA Books, the UK’s first XR publisher. Victoria pushes the boundaries of book design creating captivating, immersive award-winning publications. VIKA is uniquely able to combine the conceptual rigor of Book Arts with the production values of fine art publishing and integrate them with the dynamism and connectivity of creative technologies. Victoria is supported by prestigious industry networks and partners, InnovateUK, CreativeUK, and holds titles like Women in Innovation Ambassador, Creative Industry Council’s ‘Ones to Watch,’ Winner of the National Business and National Technology Awards for Best AR/VR Product, D&AD Future Impact, TechWomen 100, and is Great British Entrepreneur of the Year for the Creative Industries.
 
Georgia Metaxas holds an MFA in Photomedia from Monash University in Melbourne, Australia. She has worked commercially, is an experienced university lecturer, in addition to which she has led a number of community projects with organisations, museums and galleries such as ArtReach, East London NHS Foundation Trust, The Jewish Museum of Australia, Photoworks and the V&A. Georgia is widely exhibited in both the United Kingdom and Australia, and has also shown her work in Spain, China, and Germany. Her work is held in several public collections, including the National Gallery of Victoria, Australia and the Museum of Photography, Australia. Georgia’s debut photobook  Mnemosyne Grove (2024)  is published by Perimeter Editions. Georgia leads the ‘Sustainable Strategies’ module for Falmouth University’s MA Photography programme.
 
Anthony Prothero is course leader for BA(Hons) Commercial Photography at Falmouth University. After spending some years as an assistant in London, working with the likes of Ryan McGinley, Sarah Maingot and Igor Borisov, Ant became a staff photographer at the University of Bath. Along with editorial portrait and advertising commissions, Ant’s personal research concerns aspects of; memory, the family album and vernacular photography. His MA final major project titled Ipseity was a visual investigation into the archive of his grandmother, and thus his individual identity. Ant launched an independent publishing imprint called Flushing Press which supports, mentors, and publishes works by emerging artists who’s practise involves the archive.
 

Aaron Schuman is an American photographer, writer, curator and educator based in the United Kingdom and is Associate Professor of Photography & Visual Culture at the University of the West of England (UWE Bristol). His work is exhibited internationally, and he is the author of several critically acclaimed monographs, including Sonata (MACK, 2022) Slant (MACK, 2019) and FOLK (NB, 2016). Schuman has also contributed essays and photographs to many books and monographs and writes for platforms and publications including Aperture, Foam, Frieze, TIME, Magnum Photos, the British Journal of Photography and more. Additionally, he has curated several photographic festivals – including Krakow Photomonth and JaipurPhoto – as well as exhibitions for museums, institutions and galleries such as FOMU Antwerp, FotoFest, the Houston Center of Photography, Bristol Photo Festival and the Royal Photographic Society

@aaschuman
https://www.aaronschuman.com