The Lucie Awards was launched in 2003 as part of the Lucie Foundation’s mission to honor master photographers, discover and cultivate emerging talent, and promote the appreciation of photography worldwide. Over the years, we have paid tribute to over 150 of the most important figures in contemporary photography through the Lucie Awards.

This annual event honors the greatest achievements in photography. The photography community from countries around the globe pays tribute to the most outstanding photography achievements at the Gala Awards ceremony at Carnegie Hall in New York. This year, the 18th Annual Lucie Awards takes place on October 20, 2020. The Lucie Awards is the signature program of the Lucie Foundation.

Hossein Farmani is the Lucie Foundation Founder and Chairs the Lucie Awards with Susan Baraz.

about lucie foundation

Lucie Foundation is a 501(c)3 nonprofit charitable organization whose three-tiered mission is to honor master photographers, discover and cultivate emerging talent, and promote the appreciation of photography worldwide. Lucie Foundation presents a variety of programs throughout the year, including its signature program, The Lucie Awards, Month of Photography LA (MOPLA), Snapshop, Freshlook, and Lucie Talks.

advisory board

The Lucie Award Honorees are identified and nominated by our Advisory Board. Each year the Advisory Board nominates deserving individuals across a variety of categories who will be honored during the Lucie Awards ceremony. Once the nominations have been received, the votes are tallied and an honoree in each category is identified. The honorees are pre-announced months before the Lucie Awards.

the lucie name

“Lucie” is derived from the Latin word “lux,” meaning “light,” acknowledging the role that light plays in photography.

the lucie statue

The “Lucie” statue is truly a photographic icon. Curator/photographer Graham Howe conceived her form after works by two of the twentieth century’s most important photographers: E.O. Hoppé (1878-1972) whose “Margot Fonteyn, dancer, Saddlers Wells Ballet,” 1935 and František Drtikol (1883-1961) whose “Dark Waves,” 1925, were figuratively combined to give us “Lucie,” the goddess of light. The design was three-dimensionally modeled by Craig Burdick+Hanne Bølling of Studio 1030 Architects.

international photography awards

The Lucie Foundation’s sister-effort, International Photography Awards, holds an annual juried photography competition, to which professional, amateur, and student photographers are invited to submit their work. Our jury panel includes over 80 photo editors, art directors, curators, buyers, and other professionals from around the globe. Each year, a selection of the winning photographers are recognized at the Lucie Awards, and the Lucie Trophy is presented to the following winners: International Photographer of the Year (including $10,000 cash prize sponsored by AtEdge) and Discovery of the Year (including $5,000 cash prize).