The Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize 2025 has announced its shortlist of four international artists: Cristina De Middel, Rahim Fortune, Tarrah Krajnak, and Lindokuhle Sobekwa.
The annual prize, now in its 28th year, is awarded for excellence in contemporary photography, with the winner receiving £30,000 ($38,800). The three other finalists will each be awarded £5,000 ($6,400). The annual exhibition showcasing the work of the shortlisted artists will be held at The Photographers’ Gallery in London from March 7, 2025 to June 15, 2025.
Spanish artist Cristina De Middel is recognized for her exhibition “Journey to the Center” at Les Rencontres D’Arles, France, which focused on Central American migration across Mexico. The exhibition featured straight documentary photography alongside constructed images and archival material. Meanwhile, American photographer Rahim Fortune is shortlisted for his book Hardtack, which portrays young people enacting coming-of-age rituals in the American South. His portraits draw on the Civil War history of the landscape.
Peruvian American artist Tarrah Krajnak is nominated for her exhibition “Shadowings. A Catalogue of Attitudes for Estranged Daughters,” held at Huis Marseille, Amsterdam. There, Krajnak used self-portraiture and performance to interrogate photographic histories and how they guide ideas about representation. Lastly, South African photographer Lindokuhle Sobekwa is recognized for his book I Carry Her Photo with Me, a project that explores family memories and the impacts of apartheid on South African society.
“This year’s shortlisted artists and their projects show the versatility of contemporary photography,” said Anne-Marie Beckmann, director of the Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation. “Through a mix of photobooks and exhibitions, these international artists have an individual take on conveying deeply personal yet universal narratives. Their work powerfully demonstrates the importance of telling stories through images. Many congratulations to them all!”
The winner of the 2024 Deutsche Börse prize was South African photographer Lebohang Kganye for her exhibition “Haufi nyana? I’ve come to take you home” at Foam in Amsterdam. Other past winners include Richard Mosse, Deana Lawson, and John Stezaker.
