GFI#12 | Luigi Ghirri Award 2025

“Twenty years ago the Mostar Bridge in Bosnia was reopened after long reconstruction works. A masterpiece of Ottoman engineering, once considered one of the most beautiful bridges in the world, Stari Most, also known as the Old Bridge, became a symbol of the civil war that tore the Balkans apart in the 1990s. Once reopened, it regained its function of connecting and bringing together the two sides of the city separated by the Neretva River. The rebuilt bridge thus became the promise, mostly unkept, of reconciliation and coexistence between peoples. And yet, the last twenty years have seen increasing divisions, factions and nationalisms, not only among the communities of the area, which appear more and more divided, but also among the majority of European countries.

In Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Nietzsche states ‘what is great in man is that he is a bridge and not a goal’ or, in other words, a transition. It is also true that, in any form or configuration, whatever the action being taken, a bridge is first and foremost an infraction on nature’s constituted order, a potentially revolutionary device.

In this new edition of Young Italian Photography | Luigi Ghirri Award we wonder whether images can act as bridges. Can they perform a function of connection, of closeness, of dialogue and of care towards the outside world? Can they become a place and a space of solidarity, not only between the photographer and the subject, but also between the image and the viewer? How can this be activated? What value can they bring, not only in telling a story, but also in rebuilding, in bridging the gap between very different points of view, even on a personal level? What role can images play in a world full of questions and doubts, a world in which established institutions are more and more called into question?”

(Ilaria Campioli, Daniele De Luigi)

>> Fee of 1500 euros to the 7 selected finalists covering the expenses for:

• production and transport of the works;
• artists’ travel and stay in Reggio Emilia during the show’s preparation and inauguration;
• potential insurance covering the transport of works.

The works will be shown in a group exhibition in the venue of Palazzo dei Musei in the frame of Fotografia Europea programme.

>> Luigi Ghirri Award

worth 4,000 euros, is going to be awarded to one of the finalists by an international jury. The jury will take place during the opening days of Fotografia Europea (April 24-27, 2025).
Opportunities to present the winning project in prestigious exhibition venues are being defined.

>> Nuove traiettorie. GFI a Stoccolma

Artist residency in Stockholm consisting of a study and research period during which the selected artist will produce an art project to be shown in an exhibition curated by the Italian Culture Institute in Stockholm. The director of the IIC Stockholm will select the winner in consultation with the Luigi Ghirri Award’s jury.

>> Photo-Match

One of the GFI finalists will participate in the Photo-Match portfolio reading programme as part of Fotofestiwal Łódź 2025.

>> European Photography 2025 Pass

The selected artists will be entitled to a free entry pass to the Fotografia Europea 2025 exhibitions.

Giovane Fotografia Italiana (Young Italian Photography) is a project born in 2012 and promoted by the Municipality of Reggio Emilia.
Since 2018, Giovane Fotografia Italiana provides for the awarding of a prize, which, starting from the 2022 and in collaboration with Luigi Ghirri’s heirs, takes the name of Premio Luigi Ghirri. Thus enhancing the recognition of emerging talents of contemporary photography in Italy.

The project, curated by Ilaria Campioli and Daniele De Luigi, is in collaboration with Italian Culture Istitute, with the partnership of GAI – Association for the Circuit of Young Italian Artists, Fotografia Europea; Fotodok, Utrecht; Fotofestiwal Łódź in Poland, Photoworks, Brighton. The project is made possible thanks to the support of Reire srl and Young Enterpreneur Unindustria Reggio Emilia.

Through the network of partners, GFI aims at creating further opportunities of visibility for artists.
The artists who apply for the call accept to exhibit their works in initiatives promoted in collaboration with project’s partners and sponsors and at their venues (cultural institutions, companies, banks, etc.).

Create your personal Picter account (https://www.picter.com/). On Picter, register for the “Open call GFI | Premio Luigi Ghirri 2025” contest and start entering your data and information.

Upload all the required material, including:

• selection of images (minimum 5 – maximum 15, 1500 px on the long edge);
• project description, in Italian and English, including any links to videos, with up to 2000 characters for each language;
• CV with up to 2000 characters;
• biography with up to 1500 characters;
• sketch-work and/or description of a set-up proposal, assumed on a wall not exceeding 9 meters in length.
• consent forms (in Italian or English) undersigned by the portrayed subjects if recognizable;

The 7 finalists will be selected by a jury composed of:

• Danit Ariel / Photoworks Festival, Brighton
• Ilaria Campioli / Giovane Fotografia Italiana, Reggio Emilia
• Krzysztof Candrowicz / Fotofestiwal, Łódź, Polonia
• Daniele De Luigi / Giovane Fotografia Italiana, Reggio Emilia
• Fenke Rottevell, Fotodok, Utrecht