Human ²⁰²²

Théâtre Antique, Les Rencontres d’Arles photography festival, July 2022.

Prix Pictet has announced Human as the theme for the 10th cycle of the award. The announcement was made at a presentation at the Théâtre Antique of the work of Sally Mann, Prix Pictet Laureate, as part of Les Rencontres d’Arles photography festival.

Commenting on the theme, Isabelle von Ribbentrop, Executive Director, Prix Pictet, said:

We quite rightly celebrate human creativity, innovation, and entrepreneurship but too often our triumphs in science, engineering and technology come at monumental cost. The human story is more often a tale of conflict and despair than of nurture, love and co-existence.

It would be easy to read the human story as one of tragic hubris. Yet it does not end here. We stand on the threshold of the future wondering which way the dice will fall. Our wager with posterity is that human ingenuity, intelligence, and resilience of spirit is powerful enough to insist upon a very different future for the human story.

Over the coming months, the Prix Pictet’s global network of over 300 nominators will identify portfolios of work that align with the theme. As always, these portfolios will be reviewed by the independent Jury. The shortlist for Human will be presented at the Rencontres d’Arles in July 2023. The tenth laureate will be announced at the opening of the award exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London in September 2023.

Jury

The jury for the Prix Pictet are a group of leading experts in the visual arts from around the world including directors of major museums and galleries as well as journalists and critics. They lead the global search for images of high artistic quality and narrative power and fit the theme of a particular cycle.