2022 Paris Photo–Aperture PhotoBook Awards Shortlist, Grand Palais Ephémère at Paris Photo

Paris Photo and Aperture are excited to announce the shortlist for the 2022 Paris Photo–Aperture PhotoBook Awards, on the tenth anniversary of the awards—a celebration of the photobook’s contributions to the evolving narrative of photography. The award recognizes excellence in three major categories of photobook publishing: First PhotoBook, PhotoBook of the Year, and Photography Catalogue of the Year.

Florence Bourgeois, director of Paris Photo, comments: “We are very proud to celebrate ten years of the PhotoBook Awards on this twenty-fifth anniversary of Paris Photo and the seventieth anniversary of Aperture. It is a delight to witness each year what this award means to the photography community, through the number and quality of entries received, but also through the ongoing enthusiasm around this medium that remains a central part of the Fair, bringing together so many artists, publishers, collectors, and enthusiasts alike.”

This year’s shortlist selection was made by a jury comprising: Clinton Cargill, visual editor, the New York Times; Lesley A. Martin, creative director, Aperture; Miwa Susuda, Dashwood Books; publisher, Session Press; Brian Wallis, executive director, Center for Photography at Woodstock; and Leslie M. Wilson, associate director for Academic Engagement and Research, Art Institute of Chicago.

Wilson observed about the process, “The shortlist jury is an opportunity to see what kind of books are being made today. With so many books to consider, one gets a strong sense that you’re in touch with the pulse of what photography can be in this moment.”

The total number of books received this year was a robust tally of 1,026, a remarkable increase in entries from the initial years of the awards (a little more than six hundred titles were entered in 2012). Jurying the PhotoBook Awards takes part in two stages. The first took place at Aperture in New York, September 19–21, 2022, a process that involved the initial review of submissions in order to select the thirty-five shortlisted books in all categories. On Thursday, November 10, a final jury composed of five members will meet in Paris to select the winners for all three prizes, which will be revealed on Friday, November 11, at 3:00 p.m. CET in Paris and announced online on aperture.org and parisphoto.com.

All shortlisted and winning titles will be profiled in a printed catalogue, to be released and distributed for free during Paris Photo fair, along with the Winter 2022 issue of Aperture magazine. The shortlisted books will be exhibited at the Grand Palais Ephémère during Paris Photo, and will tour internationally thereafter.

Click here to view the shortlist