Judging Panel

The Tate galleries house the national collection of British art from the sixteenth century to the present day. David Clarke has been a professional fine art photographer for over 30 years. He is Head of Photography for the Tate Gallery. His responsibilities include management of 11 staff at 5 Tate sites and the implementation of his main objective, to digitize and publish all works of art in the Tate Collection. The Collection consists of 90,000 paintings, sculptures and works on paper. David is also responsible for all other photography carried out at Tate, including scientific, press, promotion and the image management systems which make the images accessible to staff and public alike. Mr. Clarke's work has been exhibited at galleries and museums from London to Beijing and is an active member of international programs including Photo Espana, Black and White Spider Awards and Princes Trust National Photography Competition. He is also secretary for the Association for Historical and Fine Art Photography which is an international membership organization founded to support and promote fine art photography.

Dr.Juliet Hacking is Program Director at Sotheby's Institute of Art and formerly Head of the Photographs Department (2003-2006) at Sotheby's auction house in London. Dr. Hacking studied for her BA, MA and PhD at the Courtauld Institute of Art, London, and was awarded British Academy studentships for her postgraduate studies. After completing her doctoral thesis she took a year-long research post at the National Portrait Gallery where she was offered the opportunity to curate the exhibition and write the book Princes of Victorian Bohemia: Photographs by David Wilkie Wynfield. In 2000 she joined Sotheby's in Bond Street as a cataloguer in the Photographs department and was made Head of Department in 2003. Dr. Hacking joined Sotheby's Institute of Art in summer 2006. Sotheby's Institute of Art has over 5,000 alumni worldwide, many of whom direct galleries, work in museums, foundations and auction houses.

Two years after the apocalypse that was called the Second World War ended Magnum Photos was founded. The world's most prestigious photographic agency was formed by four photographers - Robert Capa, Henri Cartier-Bresson, George Rodger, and David "Chim" Seymour - who had been very much scarred by that conflict and were motivated both by a sense of relief that the world had somehow survived and the curiosity to see what was still there. They created Magnum in 1947 to reflect their independent natures as people and photographers, the idiosyncratic mix of reporter and artist that continues to define Magnum, emphasizing not only what is seen but also the way one sees it. Through its four editorial offices in New York, London, Paris and Tokyo, and a network of fifteen sub-agents, Magnum Photos provides photographs to the press, publishers, advertising, television, galleries and museums across the world. The Magnum Photos library reflects all aspects of life throughout the world and the unparalleled sense of vision, imagination and brilliance of the greatest collective of documentary photographers.

The Armory Show - The International Fair of New Art, has been the world's leading art fair devoted exclusively to contemporary art since its introduction in 1999. The fair is the successor to the highly acclaimed Gramercy International Art Fairs that attracted thousands to their New York, Los Angeles and Miami shows between 1994 and 1998. The Armory Show was first presented in February 1999 at the 69th Regiment Armory, the site of the now-legendary Armory Show of 1913 that introduced Modern art to America.

Jocelyn Phillips joined Bonhams in 2009 to head its new Department of Photographs in London. Prior to this she spent over 5 years at Sotheby’s as a specialist in photography, promoted to Deputy Director in 2008. During her time at Sotheby’s she worked on single owner sales of the collections of Dr William K. Ehrenfeld and Marie-Thérèse & Andre Jammes, gaining in depth knowledge of 19th century photography to add to her experience of modern and contemporary photographic prints. Since joining Bonhams she has worked to secure a selling exhibition of David Bailey’s photographs of the 1960s, held at the company’s Bond Street galleries March-April 2010. The department’s inaugural auction of photographs took place in May, with the second scheduled for November this year. Bonhams, founded in 1793, is one of the world's oldest and largest auctioneers of fine art and antiques. It has a worldwide network of offices and regional representatives in 25 countries, offering sales advice and valuation services in 57 specialist areas.

Phillips was founded in London in 1796 by Harry Phillips formerly senior clerk to James Christie. During his first year of business Phillips conducted 12 successful auctions and soon the business was holding sales for some of the most distinguished collectors of the day, including Marie Antoinette, Beau Brummel and Napoleon. In 1999, the company was bought by Bernard Arnault, the chairman of Moet Hennessey (LVMH). Shortly after the transaction, Mr. Arnault merged with the esteemed private art dealers, Simon de Pury and Daniela Luxembourg. In 2002, de Pury & Luxembourg took majority control of the company and in 2003, Simon de Pury moved the headquarters to the art district of Chelsea, New York. It is in this space today, where Simon de Pury, his partners and team of specialists are dedicated to the company's unique approach to the auction market.

Established 25 years ago in Paris, the Galerie Baudoin Lebon is an  international leader in the field of photography and art, featuring a large eclectic mix of paintings, photographs and sculpture from  renowned artists including Dubuffet, Michaux, Steichen, Kuhn and  Mapplethorpe.

ArteF is a gallery dedicated exclusively to fine art photography, featuring vintage prints by 20th century and contemporary artists of the highest level. ArteF is set to be a benchmark for private collectors and public institutions, and wishes to establish a firm relationship with all those who love photography as a form of creative expression. ArteF mission is to provide superior value in quality and selection to collectors in Switzerland and worldwide. ArteF is member of the Zurich Gallery Association The gallery was founded in 2004.

F2 Gallery first opened its doors in Beijing on November 5th 2005 with a show of works on paper by Julian Schnabel and Jean-Michel Basquiat. With over 20 years of experience in the field of contemporary art, our aim is for F2 Gallery to contribute to cutting edge contemporary art between China and the West. Artists whose works we have shown over the years include Christo, Jean-Michel Basquiat, George Condo, Keith Haring, Miquel Barceló, José Maria Sicilia, Robert Mapplethorpe, David LaChapelle, Shirin Neshat, Anthony Goicolea, Tim White and Robert Silvers among others. We also show works by a diversity of contemporary chinese artists, such as Huang Yan, Li Songhua, Li Qing, Lu Hao, Luo Brothers, Xu Wentao, Zhu Ming and Zhang Huan. F2 Gallery is located close to the world renowned 798 art district and has a exhibition space of 300 square meters set in an idyllic courtyard. The gallery is also setting up an international artist-in-residence program.

Communication Arts Magazine is the premier professional journal for creative professionals. Since 1959, more graphic designers, art directors, creative directors, commercial photographers and illustrators have turned to Communication Arts for ideas and inspiration than to any other creative publication.

Contrasto was born in the 80's to be a point of reference for quality photojournalism. The agency's photographers, in addition to its close contact with the information and culture worlds, allows Contrasto to be a leader in the field of author photography. Its vast range of activities (production and distribution of images for journalism, advertising and image consulting, fashion and publishing, archives available online) is guaranteed by the various resources it draws from; Most notably Magnum, the prestigious agency founded by Robert Capa and Henri Cartier-Bresson. Contrasto is a publishing house as well, working to realize photographic books and exhibits in cooperation with Italy's public and private institutions.

The Goss-Michael Foundation was founded in June 2007 by recording artist George Michael and his partner Kenny Goss. Art lovers and avid collectors, the couple has been promoting art in one way or another for over a decade. In 2005, Goss and Michael opened Goss Gallery in Dallas, Texas, and through the gallery, they were able to infuse new international art into the local gallery scene. Often splitting their time between Dallas and London, they became friends and acquaintances with many of the artists in the so-called YBA movement. While building a considerable collection of works produced by this now infamous generation of artists. After two years in the commercial art industry, Goss and Michael decided to expand beyond the scope of a commercial gallery into a non-profit art space. It is their personal conviction that art is meant to be shared, discussed and seen, not simply by collectors, who are financially able to purchase such works, but by everyone. Thus the Goss-Michael Foundation was formed out of a desire to share their personal collection with the public both locally and abroad.

For over 25 years, Canadian photography amateurs and professionals have turned to Photo Life as a partner in furthering their photographic skills and they continue to do so. Covering all aspects of photography including industry news, photographic techniques and tips, field tests, travel, digital, secrets of the trade, and much more, Photo Life has something for everyone, supplemented with images from some of the country's best photographers, including our readers.

Fratelli Alinari, founded in Florence 1852, is the oldest foundation in the world still active in the field of photography, and more generally in the sphere of the image and communication. The birth of photography and the history of the firm go hand in hand in their development and growth. Today Fratelli Alinari is the guardian of a photographic 'corpus' which has few equals (with a patrimony of its own of over 3,500,000 pictures, historical and contemporary, ranging from vintage prints, glass plate negatives to film and slides), and is responsible for the management of an ongoing program of exhibitions and publishing. It can supply iconographical research services and manages both Italian and foreign photographic archives, "The World's Oldest Picture Archive."

When Esther Woerdehoff started 15 years ago to expose photographs in her apartment at Grossmünsterplatz 2 in Zurich the address quickly became the essential reference for contemporary photography in Switzerland. The gallery soon moved to Paris and widened its artistic program. Exhibiting photography from 1930 to 1960, in addition to contemporary photographers. The gallery is located in the Montparnasse area, in a historical house where sculptors such as Camille Claudel and Brancusi previously worked. During the Second World War, it was a place for a secret printing house for the French Resistance. In this historic house, the gallery shows six exhibitions of photography each year, including monographes and thematic subjects. The gallery has always attached a great importance on collaboration with museums and institutions and thanks to this engagement, the position at the international art market has been reinforced for artists like Laurence Demaison, Loan Nguyen and Matthias Koch. Gallery Esther Woerdehoff also takes part in international fairs such as Art Basel, Paris Photo, Aipad & Art Cologne.

Sandra Byron is an independent Curator, Writer, and Director of Sandra Byron Gallery, a commercial photography gallery, located in the widely acclaimed Arts Complex at 2 Danks Street, Sydney. Byron has played a leading role in advancing the cause of photography in the Museum field and in the development and advancement of photography in the fine art photography market in Australia. Byron has also played a major role in encouraging philanthropy and managing business arts partnerships including setting up programs for The National Gallery of Australia's Photography Circle and The Photography Collection Benefactors Scheme at the Art Gallery of New South Wales. Prior to founding the commercial gallery, Byron Mapp Gallery in 1995, Byron spent thirteen years as Curator of Photography at The Art Gallery of New South Wales.

Darren Ching heads PDN's art department, where under his direction PDN has received numerous design awards from the Society of Publication Designers. During the past few years he has also been a portfolio reviewer for Rhubarb-Rhubarb (Birmingham, England), Review Santa Fe, and FotoFest (Houston). PDN, the award-winning monthly magazine for the professional photographer has been covering the professional photographic industry for over two decades. Every month, PDN delivers unbiased news and analysis, interviews, and portfolios of the latest photographic work.

David Heffel, President of Heffel Gallery Limited is a member of the Art Dealers Association of Canada and has been a recipient of BC Business Magazine's Top 40 under 40 and a finalist in Ernst & Young's Entrepreneur of the Year Award. Mr.Heffel began working at Kenneth G Heffel Fine Art Inc. in 1978 when his father founded the gallery. After studying Art History at the University of British Columbia, in 1987 he founded the Heffel Gallery Limited and produced a number of important solo exhibitions by Canadian and International artists in their Vancouver facility. In November 1995, Heffel Fine Art Auction House a division of Heffel Gallery Limited, conducted its inaugural live ballroom Auction in Western Canada. In 1997 Heffel.com Canada's definitive website for Canadian Art was created and in 1999 Heffel began Canada's first and premier digital fine art auction facility. Today Heffel Fine Art Auction House has become Canada's National Auction House with offices and exhibition facilities in Vancouver, Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal. In May 2007 Heffel Fine Art Auction House made Canadian art auction history with their $24 million dollar sale, the highest grossing art auction in Canada.

J.J. Heckenhauer was founded in 1823 in Tuebingen, Germany, as a bookseller and publishing company. Building on their prestigious reputation they began publishing photography books and founded the gallery for photography which is located in Berlin.

Since 1983, the Van Kranendonk Gallery has shown painting and photography of contemporary artists. Jurriaan van Kranendonk runs the gallery and is also a qualified consultant for art commissions.  Jurriaan started his first big art commission for The Hague University. Before then he was an advisor for the Council for the Arts of the Government of The Netherlands.

Obscura Gallery is a space dedicated to the exhibition and sale of Fine Art Photography. At Obscura we believe photography is a powerful artistic medium with the ability to affect individuals and society. As such we focus on displaying images that lead us to engage with the world on different levels, awakening us through inspiration and a desire to question what exists around and beyond us.

Nadia Shira Cohen started working as a freelancer photographer for the Associated Press in New York City after finishing undergraduate studies. Feeling the need to understand the underworld of the photojournalism industry, Nadia began working for Sipa Press at their office in New York and was quickly promoted to representative agent. In 2005 Nadia went to work at the world renowned VII Photo Agency, working with some of the world's most talented photojournalists. Nadia continues to work on her own photo projects and feels that her work has greatly improved as a result of working with so many varied and talented photographers. In 2007 Nadia moved to Rome where she continues to work for VII as Director of special projects and NGO coordinator in tandem with her own photography. Awards include Fotoleggendo and Portfolio Italia. Nadia's first solo exhibition will be held January 2009 in Rome.

Fifty One Fine Art Photography is based in Antwerp, Belgium and specializes in Vintage, Classic, Fashion, African and Contemporary photography. Opened in June 2000, Fifty One Fine Art Photography is the only major art gallery in Belgium devoted exclusively to fine art photography. The gallery deals with young emerging photographers and established photographers of the 20th century.

In the market since 2004, Galeria de Babel focuses on the photography of the 80's, 90's and current generations. Jully Fernandes is building a collection which includes specially Brazilian, Latin American and North American photographers in order to promote them both nationally and internationally. The gallery combines young contemporary talents with internationally established photographers, combining several interpretations and experiments of the photographic media.

The New Zealand Institute of Professional Photography (NZIPP) was founded in 1938 as a non-profit incorporated society and is the only qualifying body for professional photographers in New Zealand. Run by professional image-makers who represent the interests of professional photographers across NZ on issues relevant to the industry such as copyright, legal and business matters, and technical developments in the rapidly changing area of digital imaging. Through a demanding qualification process, NZIPP enables members to gain professional recognition in the form of Qualified Professional status. This, in addition to the stringent membership criteria and Code of Ethics, ensures that members are professional in both their creative and business practices. The Institute strives to maintain and promote the highest professional standards in the industry through education, fellowship and support.

Billirubin Gallery is located in the heart of Berlin. Inside the two floor 200m2 exhibition space the gallery presents photography and contemporary fine arts by new  talent and international artists. Past shows include Alberto Salvan Zulueta, Fernando de Brito, and group exposition works by Lohner/ Carlson, Gerhard Richter, Pia Greschner and Tom Schurr.

HackelBury exhibits fine 20th and 21st century photography. Founded on the shared expertise, passion, & experience of Sascha Hackel & Marcus Bury, dealers & curators of fine art photography since 1990. Their gallery was opened in 1998, in a tree-lined, tranquil corner of Kensington, and continues to develop and thrive in London's growing market for photography. HackelBury is an active member of AIPAD (The Association of International Photography Art Dealers), and exhibits each year at the AIPAD Photography Show in New York, along with Art Chicago and Photo Miami.  The gallery also maintains excellent contact with dealers and private collectors worldwide, sourcing specific items on the secondary market for many of our collectors. Kate Stevens joined HackelBury as Director in 2003.

LensWork has grown into an award-winning, internationally distributed publication known for its focus solely on photography and the creative process. Established in 1993 by Brooks Jensen, a fine art photographer for over 35 years, and his wife Maureen, this talented team started LensWork (by printing it in their garage) in the belief that there was a community of people who believe that photography can be more than a craft - it can be a way of life. LensWork Publishing offers a bi-monthly periodical as well as a digital version called LensWork Extended. Brooks is the author of two books about photography, "Letting Go of the Camera" and "Single Exposures" and his next book "Finding an Audience for Your Work" is due out this year.

Martha Tepper Takayama previously a private art dealer has directed Tepper Takayama Fine Arts since 1993. Specializing in post World War II through 21st century photography, including documentary, narrative, conceptual, semi-abstract and abstract imagery. The gallery collaborates with an international roster of photographers from around the globe working in a variety of techniques ranging from traditional platinum and silver gelatin prints to digitally processed works. Tepper Takayama Fine Arts offers multilingual assistance and consulting services in English, French, Greek, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, and Spanish. Ms. Takayama has published essays about the work of Shomei Tomatsu, Daido Moriyama, Rogerio Reis,Toshio Shibata, Evandro Teixeira, among others, and has exhibited and curated their artwork for numerous cultural institutions.

A correspondent for Studio Magazines (Black + White and Blue), Conrad has also worked as Gallery Director of the Michael Shapiro gallery in San Francisco and the David Aden gallery in Santa Monica. He was the Business Director of FotoFactory Press and helped curate numerous catalogues and shows.

At the Epson Art Business, the process of Digigraphie® is made available to the public for the first time. Digigraphie®is a printing process of the highest quality which allows the artist to reproduce his artworks in a limited edition. The durability of a digi-print is 200 years, considerably higher than the standard printing processes offered by other suppliers. Thanks to the highly-qualified technology of its printers, and the quality of its UltraChrome inks, Epson has galvanised the arts market. In basic terms, every artistic original work only exists once. Every print is authenticated with the number and signature of the relevant artist, and is also given a Digigraphie® stamp which means that copies cannot be made. This gives the artist the facility for reproducing his work in a limited edition of the highest quality.

Meter Gallery sells limited edition, signed photographs from contemporary artists. The gallery strives to make fine art photography more accessible and allows buyers to browse at their leisure, store works in a personal viewing room, or buy real prints made in darkrooms and signed by the artist. Meter Gallery offers an ever growing eclectic group of artists and artwork from around the world.

Leica Gallery Sao Paulo inaugurated May 2005 with an exhibition and appearance of the legendary photographer Elliott Erwitt. The Gallery presents exhibitions sponsored by Leica in partnership with Magnum Photos as well as works by Brazil's leading photographers. Cliff Li, Gallery Director and avid photography collector, has organized and exhibited more than 130 shows since 1992 and is celebrated for opening the first Leica Photo Gallery in Latin America.

Michael Fulks has been a photographer for 30 years. He has written numerous articles on photography and has been teaching photography, studio lighting and other subjects at Red Rock Community College in Colorado since 1995. Fulks is the publisher of Apogee Photo Magazine an online photography magazine. Since 1995, this award-winning publication has provided content aimed at photographers of all levels.

Rocco Piscatello is the founder of the New York City-based Piscatello Design Centre, a multi-disciplinary firm which creates identities, environmental graphics and interactive design systems for a broad range of cultural and corporate clients. He recently won a competition to redesign a visual identity for the Times Square area in New York City, and led a team of designers to complete the identity and environmental graphics program for the Irish Hunger Memorial in Battery Park City. Piscatello also teaches design and advanced typography at the Fashion Institute of Technology.

Alex Gerard's opinions on the future of imaging have been quoted in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, International Herald Tribune, USA Today, Financial Times, Newsweek, Business Week, and many others. He sits on the George Eastman House¹s International Advisory and is a former President of the DIG, a consortium promoting the growth of digital imaging, now merged into the International Imaging Industry Association. Future Image is the leading expertise center on the convergence of imaging, information technology and business. Decision makers worldwide rely on its continuous information services, research studies, and consulting services.

Reykjavík Museum of Photography is the only independent museum of photography in Iceland. Founded as a private enterprise in 1981, the museum has been run by the City of Reykjavík since 1987. The Museum promotes photography in a national and international context and aims to improve understanding of photography as art and an important historic resource. It provides scholars and professionals with facilities for a wide variety of study in photography and stores its photographic material in state-of-the-art facilities, designed in accord with the strictest standards of conservation. Exhibitions are held throughout the year, both individually and in collaboration with other bodies.

Galería Juana de Aizpuru first opened in 1970 in Sevilla and 1983 in Madrid. The gallery is dedicated to the promotion of new international tendencies.