Foam Paul Huf Award

The Foam Paul Huf Award is an internationally acclaimed photography prize, initiated by Foam, to support upcoming talents and provide a platform for photographers under the age of 35 from across the world.

This prize has been organised by Foam every year since 2007 and is awarded to young photographers by an international independent professional jury. The Foam Paul Huf Award consists of a cash prize of €20.000,- and a solo exhibition at Foam. Additionally, the work of the winner will be published in the prestigious annual Talent issue of Foam Magazine. Above all, the winner will see his/her name added to an impressive list of alumni.

Winner Foam Paul Huf Award 2021: John Edmonds

_{The Villain, 2018 © John Edmonds, courtesy of the artist.⁠}

John Edmonds is the fifteenth winner of the Foam Paul Huf Award. The jury report states: “John Edmonds’ work impressed the jury with its very articulate, distinctive style and clarity of vision. With the seemingly simple but in essence culturally complex nature of his body of work he questions issues of identity and power from an African-American perspective. Edmonds’ work stems from a deep understanding of the medium of photography and taps into its modernist history.”

The jury of 2021 consists of:

Joachim Naudts (chair, artistic coordinator Kunsthal Extra City, Belgium), Osei Bonsu (curator, International Art, United Kingdom), Alessia Glaviano (visual director of Vogue Italia and director of Photo Vogue Festival, Italy), Gwen Lee (co-founder Singapore International Photography Festival and DECK, Singapore) and Alona Pardo (curator Barbican Art Gallery, United Kingdom).

Nominations

To produce an internationally representative selection Foam annually approaches around twenty nominators from various parts of the world. Specialists and experts in the field of photography are each asked to select a number of talented photographers in their own region. The prize can be awarded for any type of photography: from documentary or applied photography, to journalistic or independent work. The winner’s work must exhibit a clear visual language and distinguish itself in both form and content.

Previous winners

2020 - Laia Abril (1986, Spain)
2019 - Eric Gyamfi (1990, Ghana)
2018 - Daniel Shea (1985, United States)
2017 - Romain Mader (1988, Switzerland)
2016 - Daisuke Yokota (1983, Japan)
2015 - Momo Okabe (1981, Japan)
2014 - Daniel Gordon (1980, United States)
2013 - Taiyo Onorato & Nico Krebs (1979, Switzerland) 
2012 - Alex Prager (1979, United States)
2011 - Raphaël Dallaporta (1980, France)
2010 - Alexander Gronsky (1980, Estonia)
2009 - Leonie Hampton (1978, United Kingdom)
2008 - Pieter Hugo (1976, South Africa)
2007 - Mikhael Subotzky (1981, South Africa) and Taryn Simon (1975, United States)

About Paul Huf

The Dutch photographer Paul Huf (1924-2002) was known for his innovative photographic technique and was an important ambassador for the establishment of Foam Fotografiemuseum, Amsterdam in 2001. To honour this special relationship, the Foam Paul Huf Award was created in 2007 in order to stimulate and support photographers on a global scale.

The Foam Paul Huf Award was made possible in part by the generous support of Mentha Capital.

Foam is supported by the BankGiro Loterij, De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek, City of Amsterdam, Foam Members, Olympus and the VandenEnde Foundation.

In 2021 Foam receives additional support from Kickstart Cultuurfonds and the Mondriaan Fund.