Portrait of Humanity Award

Alessandra Sanguinetti

Portrait of Humanity is an international photography award, seeking to prove that there is more that unites us than sets us apart. As our next evolutionary step following Portrait of Britain, 1854 Media, publisher of British Journal of Photography, together with Magnum Photos, are pleased to announce a global exhibition, Portrait of Humanity. The aim of this new initiative is to create one of the most far-reaching collaborative photography exhibitions in history. Judges include Magnum photographers Alessandra Sanguinetti, Jacob Aue Sobol, and Newsha Tavakolian.

Jacob Aue Sobol

Alessandra Sanguinetti

We launched Portrait of Britain two years ago, as a way to combat the divisions created by Brexit, and to build a body of work reflecting our diverse and united nation. And now, as we prepare to celebrate Portrait of Britain’s first ever book launch, we are introducing an international project to overcome our differences, transcend borders, and connect as a global community through the power of photography.

“Portrait of Britain has been a phenomenon – a celebration of British culture and diversity, seen by millions of people and growing to become the most viewed photographic exhibition ever,” says Marc Hartog, CEO of 1854 Media. “Our mission now is to expand this to a global platform. Portrait of Humanity is essentially the same concept but on a global scale, asking photographers to show us what humanity means through their eyes, and what unites us, not just as one nation but as human beings.”

Alessandra Sanguinetti

Karla Gachet

Jean-Baptiste Pellerin

Marc Moitessier

Through Portrait of Humanity, we have created a timely reminder that we are all united by our shared humanity. By portraying the unity of human beings around the world, we hope to create a portrait of our international community, that expresses the universal through the individual.

Entries to Portrait of Humanity opened September 6, 2018, inviting images from photographers of any level, from anywhere in the world. We want to see portraits that capture the many faces of humanity, and document the universal expressions of life; laughter, courage, moments of reflection, journeys to work, first hellos, last goodbyes, and everything that happens in between. What’s normal to one person, might be extraordinary to someone else.

Newsha Tavakolian

Niko Djavanshir

Chris Steele-Perkins

Our overall aim is to create one of the greatest collaborative photography exhibitions in history, celebrating our shared values of individuality, community and unity. Of the entries, 200 longlisted photographs will be chosen to be included in a Portrait of Humanity book, where readers can delve into the photographs, and read the stories of people from all over the world. And 50 shortlisted photographs will be exhibited around the world as part of a global touring exhibition, from August to December 2019. Exhibitions, venues and destinations will be revealed next month. Three finalists, including one overall winner, will be chosen by our panel of judges to share $10,000, so they can each create a photographic project that further explores their interpretation of humanity.

Portrait of Humanity Award
1854 Media / British Journal of Photography & Magnum Photos
Entries close on December 11, 2018
Please visit the information page >