Nietzsche states “what is great in man is that he is a bridge and not a goal” or, in other words, a transition. A bridge is first and foremost an infraction on nature's constituted order, a potentially revolutionary device. What role can images play in a world full of questions and doubts, a world in which established institutions are more and more called into question?

About

Information in Italian

Giovane Fotografia Italiana | Premio Luigi Ghirri (Young Italian Photography | Luigi Ghirri Award) is a free-of-charge call for artists under the age of 35, promoting the discovery and showcase of emerging photography talents in Italy. An international commission selects the works that, receiving a financial reward, are produced and shown in a collective exhibition in the Fotografia Europea festival in Reggio Emilia.

Artists are invited to submit a project fitting the main theme and including a series of images with a description and a setup proposal. The selection jury reserves its right to prefer recent or unpublished projects.

The exhibition layout will be defined together by artists and curators.

To be considered for the contest, candidates must be Italian - even if living abroad - or foreigners resident in Italy.

Each artist or collective can only submit one project. Artists who have already been selected in one of the last three editions of the call (ed. 2022, 2023, 2024) cannot apply.

For further information on the call https://gfi.comune.re.it/en

THE THEME: “BRIDGING”

Twenty years ago the Mostar Bridge in Bosnia was reopened after long reconstruction works. A masterpiece of Ottoman engineering, once considered one of the most beautiful bridges in the world, Stari Most, also known as the Old Bridge, became a symbol of the civil war that tore the Balkans apart in the 1990s. Once reopened, it regained its function of connecting and bringing together the two sides of the city separated by the Neretva River. The rebuilt bridge thus became the promise, mostly unkept, of reconciliation and coexistence between peoples. And yet, the last twenty years have seen increasing divisions, factions and nationalisms, not only among the communities of the area, which appear more and more divided, but also among the majority of European countries.

In Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Nietzsche states "what is great in man is that he is a bridge and not a goal" or, in other words, a transition. It is also true that, in any form or configuration, whatever the action being taken, a bridge is first and foremost an infraction on nature's constituted order, a potentially revolutionary device.

In this new edition of Young Italian Photography | Luigi Ghirri Award we wonder whether images can act as bridges. Can they perform a function of connection, of closeness, of dialogue and of care towards the outside world? Can they become a place and a space of solidarity, not only between the photographer and the subject, but also between the image and the viewer? How can this be activated? What value can they bring, not only in telling a story, but also in rebuilding, in bridging the gap between very different points of view, even on a personal level? What role can images play in a world full of questions and doubts, a world in which established institutions are more and more called into question?

What winners receive

Fee of 1500 € to the selected finalists covering the expenses for:

• production and transport of the works;

• artists' travel and stay in Reggio Emilia during the show's preparation and inauguration;

• potential insurance covering the transport of works.

Exhibition in the group show GFI#12 | Luigi Ghirri Award 2025 which will be set up at the Palazzo dei Musei in Reggio Emilia and included in the programme of the Fotografia Europea 2025 festival.

Luigi Ghirri Award, worth 4000 €, to be awarded to one of the finalists by an international jury. The jury will take place during the opening days of Fotografia Europea (April 24-27, 2025).

Nuove traiettorie. GFI a Stoccolma

Artist residency in Stockholm that will consist of a study and research period, during which the selected artist will produce an art project to be displayed in an exhibition curated by the Italian Culture Institute in Stockholm. The director of the Stockholm IIC will choose the winner of the artist residency.

Photo-Match

One of the GFI finalists will participate in the Photo-Match portfolio reading programme as part of Fotofestiwal Łódź 2025.

About Giovane Fotografia Italiana

Giovane Fotografia Italiana (Young Italian Photography) is a project born in 2012 and promoted by the Municipality of Reggio Emilia.

Since 2018, Giovane Fotografia Italiana provides for the awarding of a prize, which, starting from the 2022 and in collaboration with Luigi Ghirri's heirs, takes the name of Premio Luigi Ghirri. Thus enhancing the recognition of emerging talents of contemporary photography in Italy.

The project, curated by Ilaria Campioli and Daniele De Luigi, is in partnership with the Italian Culture Institute of Stockholm and in collaboration with GAI - Association for the Circuit of Young Italian Artists; Fotografia Europea Festival, Reggio Emilia; Fotodok, Utrecht; Fotofestiwal Łódź in Poland; Photoworks, Brighton. With the support of Reire srl and Gruppo Giovani Imprenditori Unindustria Reggio Emilia.

Through the network of partners, GFI aims at creating further opportunities of visibility for artists. The artists who apply for the call accept to exhibit their works in initiatives promoted in collaboration with project's partners and sponsors and at their venues (cultural institutions, companies, banks, etc.).

How to Enter

• Create your personal Picter account.

• On Picter, register for the "Open call GFI #12 | Premio Luigi Ghirri 2025" contest and start entering your data and information.

• Upload all the required material, including:

• selection of images (minimum 5 - maximum 15, 1500 px on the long edge);

• project description, in Italian and English, including any links to videos;

• CV;

• biography in English with up to 1500 characters;

• consent forms (in Italian or English) undersigned by the portrayed subjects if recognizable;

• sketch-work and/or description of a set-up proposal, assumed on a wall not exceeding 9 meters in length and 3 meters in height.

Through the network of partners, GFI aims to create further visibility opportunities for the artists. The artists submitting to the open call agree to have their works exhibited in events promoted in collaboration with partners and sponsors of the project and at their premises (cultural institutions, companies, banking institutions, etc.).

Judging Criteria

GFI supports the work of artists who use the medium of photography as a reflection on its role in today's visual culture and on contemporary issues. Projects accepted are photographic series or ones in which, while sitting next to other medias, photography maintains a prominent role. The jury will assess the overall quality of the works, considering the role of images in their relation to the concept of the project, as well as the presentation of a proposal for an exhibition display.