About

GAZE is an initiative that aims to strengthen the visibility and acceptance of the LGBTQIA+ community through photography.Thematically, GAZE ties in with Pride Month in June - as an opportunity to celebrate political achievements, honour queer life and create spaces for solidarity and visibility. These spaces are particularly necessary in places where queer people continue to experience invisibility, marginalisation or discrimination - especially in rural or structurally disadvantaged regions.The call for entries invites queer people to photographically depict their perspectives, experiences and realities of life - from political protest to personal everyday moments. 

Participants can enter their pictures within three categories

1. Pride in Action: Photos of pride parades, demonstrations, and other events.

2. Pride Portraits: Individual and group portraits celebrating pride and identity.

3. Everyday Pride: Everyday moments that capture the life, love, and experiences of LGBTQIA+ individuals.

In this way, we want to maintain a diversity of lifestyles and perspectives that place a special focus on queer communities outside urban centres.

MPB is the exclusive sponsor of this year's GAZE Photo Award and is donating the prize vouchers for the winners in each category. Since 2011, Europe's leading supplier of used cameras has been revolutionising access to photographic equipment and promoting diversity and sustainability within the photo and video community.

Media partners are the queer Berlin city magazine SIEGESSÄULE and L-MAG, Germany's only magazine for lesbians.

What winners receive

The following prizes will be awarded:

Pride in Action - 1st Place: a €500 voucher to spend on used photo and video gear from MPB

Pride Portraits - 1st Place: a €1,000 voucher to spend on used photo and video gear from MPB

Everyday Pride  - 1st Place: a €1,000 voucher to spend on used photo and video gear from MPB

Each voucher is valid once for the purchase of used photo/video cameras, lenses, or accessories from mpb.com. The shipping is not included. For full terms, please visit mpb.com/info/terms.

All winners (1st, 2nd, 3rd place) in each category will be included in an exhibition in Berlin, which will start end of October (tbc).

About GAZE

GAZE is an initiative that aims to increase the visibility and acceptance of the LGBTQIA+ community through photography. The project is run by Nadja Brendel, Judith Weber and Han Vogel.

Nadja Brendel (she) has been campaigning for queer visibility for over 20 years. After graduating in print and media technology and training as a media designer, she founded the agency Vielformat in 2014, which focusses on LGBTQIA+ issues in marketing strategies.

Judith Weber (they) studied education, sinology and visual communication, has been working as an illustrator since 2016 and in graphic design and communication since 2021. Judith is part of the collective Reiberei, which pursues a discrimination-sensitive, collaborative and sustainable design practice.

Han Vogel (they;he) studied art history and photography theory.  After working at the Berlinische Galerie, Han has been working as a freelance curator and artist since 2022, focussing on queer identities, bodies and power structures.

Fundamental to the GAZE team is that the initiative was created from the queer community FOR the queer community.