The first Felix Schoeller Photo Award has been announced

The first Felix Schoeller Photo Award has been announced A new international photography competition for professional photographers, photographic designers, photographic artists and emerging photographic talent has been launched. It is being run by Osnabrück-based manufacturer of specialty papers Schoeller Technocell GmbH & Co. KG, who will award prizes worth a total of €25,000. This is one of the richest photography prizes in the German-speaking world. The Felix Schoeller Group, founded in 1895, is the oldest manufacturer of photographic base paper and has always had a close connection with high-calibre photography. The Felix Schoeller Photo Award consists of five categories. The winner of each category will receive €2,000 and the winner of the emerging photographer award will receive non-monetary prizes worth €5,000. The winner of the Photo Award in Gold, which is worth €10,000, will be chosen from the category winners. A high-profile, five-person jury will judge the entries. The competition runs from 10 April to 31 August 2013, which is the final date for submitting entries. From 10 April, there is a special website, with a tool for uploading entries. “To underline what the Photo Award is looking for, we took the conscious decision that each entrant must submit at least three pieces of work per category. The idea of this is to enable the jury to understand the entrant’s conceptual approach,” says Dr Friederike Texter, Head of Corporate Communications, explaining one of the key aspects of the award. The Photo Award is a global competition, reflecting the company’s international profile. Entries may be submitted in five categories It is possible to submit work for the Felix Schoeller Photo Award in five categories. Photographers can decide whether to upload photos in one or more categories. Emerging photographers can also submit work in the emerging photographer category. However, the terms and conditions of entry permit only one photo or series of photos per category. It is essential that entrants take great care when uploading photographs: once an entry has been submitted there is no going back – entrants cannot withdraw, edit or change the order of their photographs. That means that they must think very carefully about their choice of photographs before embarking on the upload process. The five categories are portrait, landscape/nature, architecture/industry, photojournalism/editorial photography, free choice/conceptual photography and best work by an emerging photographer. Dr Texter on the choice of categories: “It was important to us to appeal to as many photographers as possible. We would like them to submit work from the broadest range of fields and genres for us to assess. We see the Photo Award as an opportunity to showcase a broad spectrum of contemporary photography.” The awards ceremony and exhibition The awards ceremony will take place in October 2013 in Osnabrück. There will be an exhibition to mark the occasion in the Cultural History Museum/Felix Nussbaum Haus. The exhibition will open with the awards ceremony and the award-winning and nominated work will be on display in the museum’s top-lit gallery for about six weeks. The Felix Schoeller Group is also planning to publish a high-quality photo calendar, including the award-winning photographs and other selected work. The calendar will be presented primarily to business partners; it will not be on general sale. “Our idea of staging an exhibition and producing a calendar creates an additional showcase for photographers submitting entries: their work will be made accessible to a wider audience. This gives the photographers the opportunity to attract greater attention and broader-based recognition. At the same time, we are also raising the profile of high-calibre photography in today’s media-centric society,” says Dr Texter, explaining the Felix Schoeller Group’s intentions. Entries may be submitted and additional information will be available from 10 April 2013 at: www.felix-schoeller-photoaward.com. Background information on the Felix Schoeller Group Founded in 1895, the Felix Schoeller Group is a family business with worldwide operations producing specialty papers. With around 2,270 employees, the renowned Osnabrück-based company produced and marketed almost 305,000 tonnes of specialty papers in 2012 and posted a total turnover of 732 million euros. It operates through two divisions: Felix Schoeller - with its Photo Imaging, Digital Media, Packaging and Release Business Units - and Technocell with its Dekor and Vlies Business Units. In addition to its Osnabrück main site and headquarters, the Felix Schoeller Group has four other production facilities in Germany - in Weissenborn and Penig in Saxony, in Titisee-Neustadt (Baden-Württemberg) and in Günzach (Bavaria). It also has production facilities in the USA and Canada and is involved in a joint venture in the Russian Federation. It has sales & service centres in Sao Paulo, Tokyo and Shanghai. The Felix Schoeller Group exemplifies uncompromising quality, unparalleled flexibility and genuine partnership. The result: Best-Performing Papers - Worldwide. For enquiries, please contact: Hans-Joachim Graef, Graef Advertising GmbH, Kollegienwall 3-4, 49074 Osnabrück Tel.: +49 (0) 541 580 5480 Mobile: +49 (0) 171 770 3592 Email: hj.graef@graef-advertising.com