TOKYO, February 28, 2018—Canon Inc. announced today that the company will begin accepting entries for its New Cosmos of Photography 2018 (41st edition) photo competition on April 18. To promote the competition as a global photo contest, experts from outside Japan have also once again been invited to judge this year's competition.
Judges review entries (The Excellence Awards selection process from the 2017 competition)
The Excellence Award winners (six individuals and one group of two) from the 2017 competition
Entries for New Cosmos of Photography 2018 will be accepted between April 18 and June 6, 2018, while the Excellence Award Selection Committee is to meet in July to choose seven Excellence Award winners and fourteen Honorable Mention Award winners. Later, in November, the Grand Prize selection committee is scheduled to meet to select one Grand Prize winner from among the seven Excellence Award-winning entries.
The Grand Prize winner of this year's competition will receive not only JPY 1 million in prize money and a Canon product, but as an added bonus will be granted the right to hold a solo exhibit at the exhibition of winning entries for next year's New Cosmos of Photography. Additionally, to encourage the continued pursuit of their creative activities, 2018 Excellence Award and Honorable Mention Award winners will each receive prize money and the right to display their works at this year's exhibition of winning entries.
The New Cosmos of Photography is Canon's cultural support project to discover, nurture, and support new photographers who pursue new possibilities in creative photographic expression. Launched in 1991, this year marks the 28th iteration of the annual contest, which, since its 25th iteration in 2015, has expanded to accept digital submissions (stills and video). What's more, promoting the competition as a global photo contest that elevates photographers and videographers playing an active role in the current art scene, this year's seven judges will include the Artistic Director of the Dutch photo and video exhibition Unseen, Emilia van Lynden, and San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMoMA) Curator Emerita of Photography Sandra Philips.
The New Cosmos of Photography encourages the creation of original works that push the boundaries of photography's potential and systematically assists and nurtures award winners through exhibitions and published collections of their winning works as well as through publicity on the New Cosmos of Photography website. To date, the New Cosmos of Photography contest has accepted 27,406 entries from both individuals and groups, and has turned out a great number of outstanding photographers who are enjoying widespread success around the world. As a result, the contest has come to be regarded today as a gateway to success for new photographers.
For additional information about this year's New Cosmos of Photography competition, visit the New Cosmos of Photography homepage.