Background information

The Paris Photo–Aperture PhotoBook Awards is existing since 2012 and  recognizes excellence in three major categories of photobook publishing:

  • First PhotoBook
    PhotoBook of the Year
    Photography Catalogue of the Year.

10th anniversary of the Paris Photo–Aperture PhotoBook Awards, 25th anniversary of Paris Photo and the 70th anniversary of Aperture

2022 marks the tenth anniversary of the Paris Photo–Aperture PhotoBook Awards - a celebration of the photobook’s contributions to the evolving narrative of photography. “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,” comments Florence Bourgeois, director of Paris Photo. “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.”

Shortlist jury for 2022

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.
Leslie M. 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.”

Shortlisted titles at Café Lehmitz Photobooks' WebStore

Some recent books in the Café Lehmitz WebStore are nominated for the Paris Photo PhotoBook Awards 2022 – "titles which encompass a wide range of approaches to the book form, the history of the medium, and the combination of image and text". (Mack)

Discover these must-have books displayed below and have a look on other award-winners from contests over the last ten years:


For her book 'Hafiz', Sabiha ÇIMEN documented the life at Koranic schools for girls in Turkey for three years. A return to schools as she once visited them with her twin sister. The title refers to someone who has memorized all 604 pages of the Holy Quran
198,00 € Weight 0.8 kg
In their volume 'Look at me like you love me' Jess T. DUGAN reflects on desire, intimacy, society and how our identities are shaped by these experiences. A highly personal collection of portraits, couples and still lifes, interwoven with diary-like notes.
54,00 € * Weight 0.9 kg
In 'The Land of Promises', Youqine LEFÈVRE traces her own fate when she documents the China journeys of six adoptive families. As a result of China's one-child policy, she was one of the many girls separated from their families and put up for adoption.
44,00 € *
The photographs by D'Angelo WILLIAMS in his volume 'Contact High' visualize the black body in theatrical, dance, and occasionally everyday scenes. The intimate images focus on notions of kinship and spirituality interwoven with quiet political gestures.
from 42,00 € Weight 0.7 kg
Published in conjunction with a major exhibition, 'Wolfgang Tillmans: To look without fear' surveys four decades of his career. With essays on his multifaceted practice, and a new text by himself elucidates the methodology behind his system of presenting.
from 49,00 € Weight 2.2 kg
The leporello volume 'One Day Every Day' by Zuzana PUSTAIOVÁ is an ironic commentary on social norms. It shows the deeper layers of institutional restrictions, which are thought up by politics and passed on to the public by the media and social networks.
0,00 € Weight 0.4 kg
Signed! 'In Limbo' by Florian BACHMEIER, describes a state of numbness & insecurity against the backdrop of the Ukraine conflict. The images, taken over the last 8 years, make historical processes visible, as well as their psychological & social effects.
64,00 € * Weight 1 kg
Inspired by Valerie Solanas' tract SCUM, Justine KURLAND presents her own feminist initiative: the 'Society for Cutting Up Men's Books'. Her volume 'SCUMB Manifesto' contains collages created by cutting up and reconfiguring photo books by male artists.
from 78,00 € Weight 1.5 kg
'Good Hope' by Carla LIESCHING, combines essays and found photographs with sources ranging from apartheid-era trade journals, tourist pamphlets, magazines to current newspapers and family albums. A critical examination of contemporary settler colonialism.
from 25,00 €