How to Catch the Eyes of the 2019 Jurors

Published January 11, 2019
Words by ,

Personal. Diverse. Challenging. Thoughtful. Thought-provoking. Honest. Surprising. Raw. These are but a few of the qualities that the 2019 Flash Forward jurors are looking for in winning submissions. Read what a few of them are excited about seeing this year.

The moment when Maysa won the title for Young Miss Sao Paulo Black Beauty. Photo: Luisa Dorr, 2018 Flash Forward winner

Lucy Pike, Content Lead WeTransfer.  In a winning submission, I always love when you can understand why someone wants to tell this story, that it has a personal link for them. I think it’s important as a photographer to understand your passions and your unique view of the world.

Laura Beltran Villamizar, Founder Native Photo Agency and Projects Editor at NPR. In an industry that still struggles with issues of representation and colonial narratives, I look forward to seeing work that celebrates alternative stories and alternative storytellers. I want to see work that is deeply personal, yet universal. Work that is timeless, yet timely. Work that challenges my preconceived ideas of the world and celebrates its complexity through creative approaches to the image.

Kerry Manders, Writer, Editor, Curator, Photographer. I’m looking for originality in conception and approach, as well as technical excellence. I want to see an astute, insightful contribution to the conversation you’re participating in. I want to see a photo or photo series that makes me wonder, that inspires me to think about it, and then think about it again: one that invites me to ask questions of what’s inside the frame and what’s inevitably outside it. No matter what kind of photography, I’m looking for a new take on what is probably an old subject: what’s your angle? What’s your vision, literally and figuratively? What’s at stake, for you and your subject(s), in this image? I’m also looking for how you share your perspective in your artist statement, which I believe is as important as the images it accompanies. While your images may speak for themselves on a visceral level, they need you to articulate what you are doing and why it matters.

Photo: Nichole Sobecki, 2018 Flash Forward Winner Environmental Issues

Giuseppe Oliverio CEO & Founder, PHmuseum. I’ll be looking for meaningful works in terms on content, ideas, and storytelling. I’ll value a deep and most importantly honest approach – honest to the photographer, honest to the story, honest to the subjects portrayed.

Carol LeFlufy Owner/Agent, Eye Forward. As an agent I look for a cohesive, innovative and fresh approach in a photographer’s work.  I want to be surprised and stimulated by imagery. If the images are a series I want the images to tell me a story and leave me wanting to see more.  There is so much imagery in our lives now, that work has to be original. Also from an agent’s point of view I also consider the commercial application of the work and it’s possibilities in that vein

Michaela Peker The Canvas Agency, Toronto. What I’m looking for is I think what I’m always looking for when seeking new photographers. I would love to see a unique perspective! The photo doesn’t have to be perfect in terms of lighting or editing, the more raw the better in fact. I love a fresh, unique eye and mind. Someone who can take an object and or person and make it look more than one dimensional.

Lesley Beardy, Freelance Photographer, Graduate Student in Cultural Studies at the University of Winnipeg, Project Manager for upcoming GLAM Collective exhibition. If the photo captures a powerful story in light clear details then I feel that it deserves a win. Small details and colour also play an integral role for me when I am observing photos.

Rachel Wine Assistant Photo Editor at The Globe And MailLooking for projects that have been well thought out from initial conceptualization to final imagery. I love seeing work that challenges the way stories are told, genres and the medium itself. For me it’s important that the work is considered from all angles.