The CDS Documentary Essay Prize honors the best in short-form documentary photography and writing in alternating years: one year, photos; one year, writing. The focus is on current or recently completed work (within the last two years) from a long-term project—fifteen images; fifteen to twenty pages of writing.
The upcoming prize competition will be for photography. The winner of the competition receives $3,000 and a feature story in the Center for Documentary Studies’ digital publications. The winner’s work is also placed in the Archive of Documentary Arts at the Rubenstein Library, Duke University.
All entries must have one thing in common: evidence
that they were created with reliance on documentary methods and immersive fieldwork. We are interested in work that directs its gaze outward, that curiously engages with the world, and that is, as former CDS director Tom Rankin describes, “derived from an in-depth understanding of place, history, and the current situation, in concert with a personal relationship to the proposed work.
You will be asked to provide the following:
- 15 photographs in digital format
- One page statement in pdf format- Please provide context for the photographic essay you are submitting, including the duration of your project and whether
it is completed or ongoing. Describe your intentions for the work.
- One page biography or C.V. in pdf format
Application materials will be accepted between December 1, 2017 to March 1,
2018.
