IAFOR is delighted to announce that award-winning photojournalist and educator, Paul Lowe, has been named as the Founding Judge of the IAFOR Documentary Photography Award, and will head the judging panel.

Paul is the Course Director of the Masters Programme in Photojournalism and Documentary Photography at London College of Communication, University of the Arts London. He was responsible for the development and launch of a new part time mode of the course delivered entirely online using web conferencing, blogs and the VLE, launched in 2008. Paul is an award-winning photographer, whose work is represented by Panos Pictures, and who has been published in Time, Newsweek, Life, The Sunday Times Magazine, The Observer and The Independent amongst others. He has covered breaking news the world over, including the fall of the Berlin Wall, Nelson Mandela’s release, famine in Africa, the conflict in the former Yugoslavia and the destruction of Grozny.

He is a consultant to the World Press Photo foundation in Amsterdam, on online education of professional photojournalists in the majority world. His book, Bosnians, documenting 10 years of the war and post war situation in Bosnia, was published in April 2005 by Saqi books. He regularly contributes to international and national conferences in Photography, Media and Education, and has published chapters in edited books on these themes as well.


About the Award

The IAFOR Documentary Photography Award seeks to promote and assist in the professional development of emerging documentary photographers and photojournalists. This inaugural competition builds off of the strength of the IAFOR Documentary Film Award, now in its fourth year. Documentary has a rich history of exposing truths, telling stories, raising awareness and creating discussion — all practices valued at The International Academic Forum (IAFOR).

The IAFOR Documentary Photography Award is committed to supporting quality photojournalism, imperative storytelling and the international exchange of information. The award is a significant feather in the cap of any documentary photographer and a platform which can help bring attention to important work in the field.

The judges want to see original work from around the world, with the emphasis being on quality content. There will be no prejudices or biases based on production value or budgets. In supporting upcoming talent, there are no entry fees.

Posted by Thaddeus Pope

Thaddeus Pope is the Director of Visual Communications for The International Academic Forum (IAFOR) and the Creative Director of the IAFOR Documentary Photography Award.