Do you seek to push the boundaries of photography and videography as a form of visual expression? Do you hope to have your work reviewed by established photographers, videographers and other experts in the visual arts scene, and stand the chance to hold a solo exhibition in Japan? Here’s your chance: Organised by Canon Global, the New Cosmos of Photography 2020 Competition is accepting applications from 18 March until 31 May 2020. Read on to find out more.

1) About New Cosmos of Photography
2) What do I stand to win?
3) Who's judging?
4) General application details
5) Key dates to note
6) Examples of winning works

 

“What can we do through photography? What is only possible through photography?”

These are the questions that Canon’s New Cosmos of Photography competition aims to explore. First launched in 1991, the competition is Canon’s cultural support project to discover, nurture, and support new photographers attempting to push the limits of and redefine creative photography (and video) expression.

The 2020 edition of the contest marks its 30th iteration. Throughout its history, the contest has accepted over 31,357 group and individual entries from all over the world, and previous winners have gone on to achieve success in the industry.

Will you be the next?

Like Ants, Tomomichi Nakamura
Grand Prize Winner, New Cosmos of Photography 2019
Twenty-one still images:  Five plywood sheets (455 x 600 mm)/ oil paint, steel, sixteen photos

In this “video work that does not move” the artist placed images of his severely-ill father side by side with large collages of ants, expressing his complex emotions of grief and helplessness.
Learn more about this work here

 

What do I stand to win?

From all the entries, the judging committee will select:

7-14 Honorable Mention Award winners
- JPY 30,000 in prize money
- Works exhibited at the New Cosmos of Photography Exhibition 2020 in October to November 2020
- Works showcased at the New Cosmos of Photography website and published in the next issue of the New Cosmos of Photography Magazine

7 Excellence Award winners
- JPY 200,000 in prize money
- Chance to be Grand Prize Winner
- Works exhibited at the New Cosmos of Photography 2020 Exhibition in October to November 2020
- Works showcased at the New Cosmos of Photography website and published in the next issue of the New Cosmos of Photography Magazine

1 Grand Prize winner
- JPY 1,000,000 in prize money (including prize money for Excellence Award)
- Works exhibited at the New Cosmos of Photography 2020 Exhibition in October to November 2020
- Works showcased at the New Cosmos of Photography website and published in the next issue of the New Cosmos of Photography Magazine
- Solo exhibition at New Cosmos of Photography 2021 Exhibition
- A Canon product

 

Who will be judging the entries?

Each year, the New Cosmos of Photography organizers invite a panel of experts in the visual arts industry to judge the competition. This year’s panel of seven judges include:

- Paul Graham (Photographer)
- Noi Sawaragi (Art critic)
- Minoru Shimizu (Photo critic)
- Mikiya Takimoto (Photographer/Cinematographer)
- Takashi Yasumura (Photographer)
- Two other judges (TBA)

Learn more about this year's judges here. 

The judges of New Cosmos of Photography 2019 over some of the submissions.

 

Application details

Application period
Wednesday, 18 March to Sunday, 31 May 2020*

*Deadline has been extended

Procedure
See instructions here
Online submissions will be accepted until 23:59 (Japan Standard Time) on 31 May
Submissions by post must be postmarked or picked up by a courier by 31 May

Who is this contest open to?
- Anyone, anywhere, of any age, gender experience.
- Doesn’t matter if you are a professional or amateur photographer
- However, if you are entering as a group, you must be planning to continue activities as a group in the future.

What kind of work is accepted?
- Any kind of original photographic work, as long as they have not been published or submitted to/selected by any other awards or competitions.
- They can be made on any photographic equipment, including film cameras.
- Works that have been processed and manipulated with in-camera apps or other image-editing software are also accepted, as long as no third-party rights are infringed upon.

For more details and conditions including submission format, please see the New Cosmos of Photography website

 

Dates to note

Sunday, 31 May 2020
Entry application deadline/submission deadline

Late Jun 2020
Judging process for Excellence Award and Honorable Mention Award

Late July to October 2020
Orientation of Excellence Award winners and Honorable Mention Award winners
Preparation of works for exhibition

October to Nov 2020
New Cosmos of Photography Exhibition 2020

October 2020
Selection of the Grand Prize winner by the selection committee. (Will also be announced later on the New Cosmos of Photography website)

April 2021
All winning works to be published in the next issue of the New Cosmos of Photography magazine

 

Examples of winning works

If you need some inspiration on what to submit, here are some more examples of the winning works:

 

Formerly Known As Photography, Yusuke Endo
Excellence Award, New Cosmos of Photography 2019
Book (279 x 355 mm) with 38 inkjet prints, Video (01:47)

Explores the challenges and value of photography, especially street photography, in light of technological innovations such as surveillance cameras, smartphones, and 4K 60 fps video.
Learn more about this work here

 

To elite trash, Hisashi Kobayashi
Excellence Award, New Cosmos of Photography 2019
Five books (two 25 x 300 mm, three 200 x 250 mm) using approximately 2,500 reversal films, laser prints, gelatin-silver prints, inkjet prints, and instant films

This consists of “piles” of photos that the artist had accumulated over many years and could not bear to throw. Fascinated by how they had become “like garbage” despite being published and used in exhibitions in the past, he has pasted them to various objects, creating a unique photo collection.
Learn more about this work here

 

background, Daichi Koda
Excellence Award, New Cosmos of Photography 2019
Sixteen prints (205 x 285 mm), pigment-ink prints on washi paper

The artist used to take portraits of his mother. After his mother's death, these photos of plants, which his mother had once loved, are like an extension of those portraits. Through this artwork, the artist deals with the ongoing themes of how people in society view things and objects and also the preservation of others through the creation of artwork.
Learn more about this work here

 

For interviews with the winners and winners’ presentations about their works, see:
https://global.canon/en/newcosmos/closeup/index.html

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Visit the New Cosmos of Photography homepage at https://global.canon/en/newcosmos for more information.

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