Portrait of Humanity – The WINNERS ♛

by Kay Ziv
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The 50 winning and 200 shortlisted Portrait of Humanity images have been announced!


1854 Media, publisher of British Journal of Photography, in partnership with Magnum Photos, have created Portrait of Humanity – an award aiming to unite the global community through the power of photography. The winning and shortlisted portraits have now been revealed to the world. They show that there is more that unites us than sets us apart.

Portrait of Humanity / © Fabian Muir The Hands that Rock the Cradle, North Korea These children live in an orphanage. They make me think not only of their own future but also of their country’s future. I hope they will grow up in a North Korea that opens up and emerges from the time capsule within which it has been locked for well over half a century.
Portrait of Humanity / © Fabian Muir The Hands that Rock the Cradle, North Korea These children live in an orphanage. They make me think not only of their own future but also of their country’s future. I hope they will grow up in a North Korea that opens up and emerges from the time capsule within which it has been locked for well over half a century.

The 200 shortlisted portraits will be included in the Portrait of Humanity book, published by Hoxton Mini Press and distributed worldwide. The Portrait of Humanity book is available for pre-order here. Our judging panel, comprised of international industry leaders, have selected the 50 winning portraits. Each will be exhibited at celebrated galleries, museums and photography festivals across the world.

Portrait of Humanity / © Pieter de Vos No Man’s Land, South Africa Christopher has spent most of his life on the economic margins of South Africa despite his dogged pursuit of employment and stable housing. ‘I was a street kid,’ he said. ‘The kid that grows up on the street is in no man’s land.’
Portrait of Humanity / © Pieter de Vos No Man’s Land, South Africa Christopher has spent most of his life on the economic margins of South Africa despite his dogged pursuit of employment and stable housing. ‘I was a street kid,’ he said. ‘The kid that grows up on the street is in no man’s land.’

The 50 winning portraits will embark on a global tour from September 2019 – January 2020.

  • September 2019, Organ Vida International Photography Festival, Zagreb, Croatia
  • October – November 2019, LagosPhoto Festival, Lagos, Nigeria
  • November 2019, National Centre For Photography, Ballarat, Victoria, Australia
  • November 2019 – January 2020, Louisiana State Museum as part of PhotoNOLA Festival, New Orleans, United States

The 200 shortlisted portraits will be included in the Portrait of Humanity book, published by Hoxton Mini Press and distributed worldwide. The Portrait of Humanity book is available for pre-order here.

View the 50 winning images here: bjp.photo/pohwinner

View the 200 shortlisted images here: bjp.photo/pohshortlist

Portrait of Humanity / © Roland ‘Kilimanjaro’ Błazejewski Family, Germany I met this couple in Berlin. They were sitting together on the side of a street when I started a conversation with them. We talked for a long time and the man repeated, ‘We are a family, we are together, we are strong’ over and over. When I got up to leave I glanced back at them and took this photograph.
Portrait of Humanity / © Roland ‘Kilimanjaro’ Błazejewski Family, Germany I met this couple in Berlin. They were sitting together on the side of a street when I started a conversation with them. We talked for a long time and the man repeated, ‘We are a family, we are together, we are strong’ over and over. When I got up to leave I glanced back at them and took this photograph.

The 100 commended images, chosen by Clear Channel, will be announced in the coming weeks. These will be displayed on Clear Channel out-of-home digital screens worldwide, and seen by millions.

The 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners will share $10,000 in grant awards, to create projects that explore their interpretations of humanity. They will also be announced in the coming weeks.

20 images have also been chosen by Photography on a Postcard. These will be on display at Photo London, and contribute to the The Hepatitis C Trust’s campaign to eliminate the hepatitis C virus by 2025.

Portrait of Humanity / © Michal Solarski Zlata, Ukraine I met Zlata on the waterfront in Odessa. She had come to the city with her mother to take part in a beauty contest. I thought her Ukrainian dress looked beautiful against the setting sun over the Black Sea. Traditionally, the floral headdresses are worn by young, unmarried women as a sign of their purity; they were once even thought to protect them from evil spirits.
Portrait of Humanity / © Michal Solarski Zlata, Ukraine I met Zlata on the waterfront in Odessa. She had come to the city with her mother to take part in a beauty contest. I thought her Ukrainian dress looked beautiful against the setting sun over the Black Sea. Traditionally, the floral headdresses are worn by young, unmarried women as a sign of their purity; they were once even thought to protect them from evil spirits.
Key Dates:

Shortlist & Winners Announcement: 7 May 2019
Portrait of Humanity book launch party – 23 May 2019
Touring Global Exhibition: September 2019 – February 2020
Portrait of Humanity Book Launch Party
We are inviting you to join us in celebrating the launch party of the first ever Portrait of Humanity book, published by Hoxton Mini Press. On Thursday 23 May 2019 we will be joined by a selection of the winning and shortlisted artists that have been featured in the book, to celebrate Portrait of Humanity’s global impact and achievements. There will be a DJ, drinks and the chance to meet everyone who has contributed to this years award. This event is RSVP only, register for the event here by 17 May 2019 to confirm your attendance. The Portrait of Humanity book is available for pre-order here.

About Portrait of Humanity:

Portrait of Humanity is a new global initiative by 1854 Media, publisher of British Journal of Photography, in partnership with Magnum Photos.

As an evolution of Portrait of Britain, an award focused on capturing the many faces of modern Britain, Portrait of Humanity shows how our differences unite us on a global scale. It serves as a timely reminder, that despite our many differences, we are able to unite as a global community to create one of the greatest collaborative photography exhibitions in history.

About 1854 Media & British Journal of Photography:

1854 Media is an award-winning digital media organisation with a global audience of photographers, arts lovers and industry experts.

At 1854’s core is British Journal of Photography, the world’s longest running photography title, which has been showcasing pioneers of the art form since 1854. It manifests in a monthly publication that takes an international perspective on contemporary photography, focusing on fine art and documentary, and the cutting edge of editorial and commercial practices. It has also created internationally renowned photography awards – including OpenWallsPortrait of Britain, BJP International Photography Award, Female in Focus and Portrait of Humanity™ all of which aim to discover and promote new talent.

Studio 1854 is the visual content agency of British Journal of Photography, the longest running photography title in the world. Drawing on our global community of creatives, we create stories for brands through photography, film and journalism. In tandem, Studio 1854 also offers paid opportunities for photographers to produce new and creatively challenging work.

About Magnum Photos:

Magnum Photos is an artist’s cooperative of great diversity and distinction, owned by its photographer members. We represent some of the world’s most renowned photographers, maintaining its founding ideals and idiosyncratic mix of journalist, artist and storyteller. Our photographers share a vision to chronicle world events, people, places and culture with a powerful narrative that defies convention, shatters the status quo, redefines history and transforms lives.

For over 70 years Magnum Photos has been providing the highest quality photographic content to an international client base of media, charities, publishers, brands and cultural institutions.  Since its establishment, it has remained loyal to its original values of uncompromising excellence, truth, respect and independence.

About Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings:

Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: CCO) is one of the world’s largest outdoor advertising companies with a diverse portfolio of 450,000 print and digital displays in 31 countries across Asia, Europe, Latin America and North America, reaching millions of people monthly. A growing digital platform includes over 13,500 digital displays in its international markets and more than 1,200 digital billboards across 28 markets in the U.S.

Comprised of two business divisions – Clear Channel International (CCI), covering markets in Asia, Europe and Latin America, and Clear Channel Outdoor Americas (CCOA), the U.S and Caribbean business division – CCO employs 5,600 people globally.

For more information, visit: www.clearchannelinternational.com 
and www.clearchanneloutdoor.com

About Hoxton Mini Press:

Hoxton Mini Press is an award-winning independent publisher based in East London. We started out by making photography books just about Hackney, working with local artists and writers, but now we produce books about topics all over the world. Nevertheless, we are still inspired by local, urban stories of neighbourhood life told through rich photography. As the world goes digital we believe that books, and the stories within them, should be cherished and passed down through generations.

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