The City of Brussels has announced the second edition of the Germaine Van Parys Prize, aimed at highlighting and increasing the visibility of female photographers.
City Councillor for Culture Delphine Houba says she intends to use the prize to support a fundamental change by securing greater recognition for female photographers.
The prize, named after Belgium’s first female press photographer, Germaine Van Parys, was established in 2023 to honour women’s talent behind the lens.
Marie Sordat and Cécili Matureli were the winners of the inaugural edition. Sordat received the Germaine Van Parys Prize for professional photographers, while Matureli won the Discovery Prize, intended for newly graduated Brussels-based photographers.
The second edition aims to recognise women working in press or documentary photography, and assist them in financing and promoting future projects.
Houba noted that the lack of women’s stories in media, museums, and galleries has perpetuated gender inequality and that Belgian photography has been dominated by a handfull of individuals for too long.
Participating professional photographers are required to develop a theme and project related to the City of Brussels. The winner of the Germaine Van Parys Prize will receive a production grant of €8,000 to implement the project, which will be exhibited in Brussels by the end of 2025.
New photography graduates can choose any subject for submission to the Discovery Prize. Three of them will ultimately be selected for a 10-month scholarship.
Female professional photographers and photography students have until 15 December to apply for the competition. The winners of the second edition will be announced in January 2025.
