Terms & Conditions
Summary
Of all the entries made, we require physical books or book dummies sent to us by the photographers/authors. From all the printed books, around 50 books will be selected for the shortlist that will go on an international exhibition tour. 5 winning books will be selected from the shortlist. One of these books will receive the PBM/MAS Prize and will be produced and published, the other 4 will get an equivalent production grant.
Award
The book that wins the PBM/MAS Prize will be produced and published by the leading Turkish photobook printing and binding house MAS MATBAA, Istanbul in cooperation with The PhotoBookMuseum gGmbH, Cologne. The costs for this will be covered 100%. The other 4 winning books will be receive a production grant of 25% for printing their books at MAS Matbaa, Istanbul. (detailed conditions below)
Who can enter?
Any photographer from around the world who accepts the following conditions can participate by registering for the competition and submitting an unpublished work as a physical book. All books published digitally or by self-publishing in small print-runs up to 100 copies are eligible to apply.
Purpose and content
Formally, a submitted work must adhere to the following photobook criteria: A photobook is a nonperiodic collection of photographs printed (or reproduced on photographic paper) with text or even empty pages, with a binding and a cover. It can be made from paper or other suitable materials. There are no restrictions as to its content. It goes without saying that photographs are the major component of the book. Any format can be chosen, but to be eligible for the prize, certain production standards have to be adhered to. There are no size restrictions on the photobook dummy. Prerequisite for First Prize is a feasible book concept, meaning a book that can be produced through the typical production methods for a photobook. The final decision on its feasibility rests with the jury.
Registration fees
Entries can only be registered online; click here to access the registration process. We charge € 44,00 per entry and book. There is no limit to the number of entries per person. Payments can only be made online, by credit card, PayPal or bank transfer during the registration process.
Conditions
By accepting these conditions the participant states that the submitted work has never been published by a publishing house. All books published digitally or by self-publishing in small print-runs up to 100 copies are eligible to apply.
The following conditions are mandatory only for the PBM/MAS Prize.
• The book will be produced and published by MAS Matbaa, Istanbul in cooperation with The PhotoBookMuseum, Cologne. We might opt for involving a fitting co/publisher if necessary.
• MAS Matbaa, Istanbul in cooperation with The PhotoBookMuseum, Cologne reserves the right – in close consultation with the photographer – to decide the final print run of the first edition and to make changes to the size and additional features of the publisher’s dummy to optimize production, if necessary.
• In cooperation with The PhotoBookMuseum, Cologne, MAS Matbaa, Istanbul shall bear the costs of production, project management and sales of the first trade edition. In return, the photographer shall waive his claim to royalties from the sale of the book and to any licence revenues from the first trade edition. Nevertheless in exchange the photographer will get 10% of the print-run for his/her own purposes from the first trade edition. With these copies the photographer/author can do whatever he wants. Additional copies can be bought from MAS Matbaa, Istanbul for the prize of production cost + shipment to authors location.
Dates
Registration opens 3rd of November 2026 and closes on the 30th of January 2027. The latest arrival date for the physical book dummies at The PhotoBookMuseum in Cologne is the 17th of February 2027. The jury will be announced in mid December 2026 and come together in Cologne in early March 2027. The shortlisted books are announced shortly thereafter. The Dummy Award World-tour starts in April 2027 and runs till early 2028. The five winners of the Dummy Award & the PBM/MAS Prize will be announced in February 2028.
The Dummy Award Library
All registered book dummies will be part of the PhotoBookMuseum Collection and enter the Dummy Award Library. The physical library is currently accessible, although not fully public. However, we hope to install a permanent Dummy Award Reading Room at the PhotoBookMuseum in the near future.
In the meantime, we are working on a digital version on the Dummy Award website. During the registration process, applicants will be asked to provide specifications (size, binding, number of pages, etc.) along with a short statement and an image of the cover. This information will be used to create the digital version of the Dummy Award Library. Please fill in this information carefully.
The Shortlist
The shortlist jury composed of international experts will meet in Cologne in the beginning of March and choose about 50 book dummies from all entries. These shortlisted books will be exhibited during various photographic events as announced. The shortlisted books will be featured on the dummyaward.org website, in a printed catalogue and videos of the books will be featured on the PhotoBookMuseum Youtube channel and in its instagram promotion. The final decision on the 5 prize winners will take place in February 2028, as soon as most of the festivals and exhibition venues have handed in their (public) votings. The five winners of the Dummy Award & the PBM/MAS Prize will be announced shortly after.
Requirement of a second copy of each shortlisted dummy
Dummies that make the shortlist will be shown during international photo events as announced. Because some of these events take place at the same time, we will request a second copy of the dummy. This second copy should arrive at The PhotoBookMuseum in Cologne within 21 days after the announcement of the shortlist. Should this not be available then, it will be omitted from some of the overlapping exhibitions. One copy of the shortlisted books will be retained at the end of the exhibition tour for inclusion in the Dummy Award Library of the PhotoBookMuseum, Cologne.
Return shipment of the books
By submitting your dummy, it will automatically enter the Dummy Award Library. This means that we will not automatically return your book like in the years before. However, if you really urgently need it back, we can offer to return it to you at your own cost within 6-8 weeks after the jury session in March 2027.
If you would like your dummy returned and do not want it to be included in the Dummy Award Library, please tick the relevant box when you register. We will then contact you by email after the shortlist announcement to ask for your address so that we can calculate the shipping and handling charges. We send parcels with tracking and insurance via DHL. Above that you can always opt to collect it in person or arrange for someone else to collect it for you.
As the shipping rates are changing fast these days it is not easy to predict how high the shipping charges will be. Below prices are estimates: (max weight: 2kg including packaging – max size: L+W+H =90cm). If your parcel is bigger/heavier than that higher rates might apply.
Germany: 15€ // EU (European Union): 22€ // EUROPE (Non EU): 36€ // WORLD: 52€
Returns will only be made if the return postage has been paid. You will get an invoice from us and will be asked to pay via PayPal. Please do not send us return stickers, stamps, cash or similar items.
No liability
We will handle all submitted dummies with the upmost care. During the registration process we will have to put a small sticker with your registration number at a decent place inside the book cover or sleeve. Although we use high-quality detachable stickers in very few cases they left a mark.
Because it is important to us that the dummies can be handled during the exhibition, they sometimes might have to be insured against theft. We don’t have to do that in cologne and it did not happen often, but it can be that a festival or exhibition venue has to make sure to secure the dummies in a way. For this reason, the dummies might need to get a small hole punched on the back/cover for a cord or nylon can be attached. Apart from that, we are not liable for damages, loss or books stolen during the exhibition and transports. If this happens, we will contact you and discuss the possibilities of producing a replacement.
Rights
The entrant declares that he/she is the owner of all copyright, usage, application and other protection rights, or if he/she is not the owner of these rights – that he/she has the permission of the owners of these rights and is able to use them without a time or spatial limit and is able to transfer them. Given that this is provided for, the entrant transfers to the The PhotoBookMuseum gGmbH and Mas Matbaa the right to selective publication in its online media. Any entry to the Dummy Award Library comes with the freedom of the PhotoBookMuseum to exhibit and make publicly accessible the dummies and use images of the dummies for promotion of the Dummy Award and Library. An obligation to remunerate does not apply. The entrant also ensures that foreign rights, especially foreign copyright and similar regulations of the initiator, the entrant or any third parties, will not stand in the way of the abovementioned transfer of rights. The entrant releases The PhotoBookMuseum gGmbH, Cologne and MAS Matbaa, Istanbul from all possible claims on any legal grounds. Copyright and the above mentioned usages of the photobook designs apart from The PhotoBookMuseum gGmbH and MAS Matbaa and PBM remain with the entrants and the authors.
Influence
Entrants cannot exert direct influence over content, type and extent of the reproduction of their work in the shortlist catalogue, the shortlist exhibitions or in the online presentation of the dummy award and dummy award library, its shortlist and winners. We ask for your understanding in this matter.
Agreement to our conditions
By entering one or several works, each entrant agrees to the conditions and the selection process. The decision and judgments of the shortlist jury and the decision of the prize winners are final. Legal processes are excluded.
Data protection
In all instances of data processing (for example raising, processing and transmitting) we follow current law. Essential data that you have sent us for business transactions will be stored and forwarded to service providers as needed for the ordering process. Address and ordering details will only be used and processed for our own marketing purposes. We guarantee that we won’t forward your details to third parties. You can oppose the use, processing and transmission of your personal details at any time through a short informal note mailed to us at The PhotoBookMuseum gGmbH, Körnerstr. 6-8, 50823 Cologne or by email to . The following will then be the case for the processing of data for your order: Once we have received your objection, relevant data will not be used for anything but the use, processing and transmission of your order.
Other
Our offer is subject to change. Contracts signed through us are bound to German law with the exception of the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods and the EGBGB. Where permitted, the sole place of jurisdiction is the Cologne District Court. Individually liable: The PhotoBookMuseum gGmbH, Körnerstr. 6-8, 50823 Cologne, Commercial Registry: 83152 at Cologne District Court , CEO Frederic Lezmi & Markus Schaden.
Address
The PhotoBookMuseum gGmbH
DUMMY AWARD / Frederic Lezmi
Körnerstr. 6-8 (Ladenlokal)
50823 Cologne
Germany