Polaroid X Magnum Open Call identifies next wave of instant photography storytellers

Polaroid and Magnum are proud to reveal the work of 10 emerging artists selected through their joint Open Call.

The first-ever partnership between two iconic photography brands set out to discover the next wave of visual storytellers and will culminate in a showcase of the winners' final work at November’s Paris Photo Fair and a digital exhibition. 

The Open Call headlined by Magnum photographers Enri Canaj, Jim Goldberg, and Newsha Tavakolian drew an astonishing 2101 submissions from a diverse pool of talent from over 100 countries. 

The 10 winners were selected for their ability to tell empathy-evoking stories and received mentorship from the Magnum photographers - and the Polaroid I-2 camera to capture the next chapter of their stories.

At the heart of the winners' work is an exploration of the human experience, as artists reflect on both their own lives and the world around them. The work covers a broad range of themes from migration to gender roles, and from expressing one's own identity to reflecting on the poignant reality of living with a disease, or far away from the family. 

The final selection - entitled “Real Life is Not Black and White” - emphasizes the role of instant photography as a powerful medium for storytelling and creative expression. It celebrates the creative properties of the black-and-white film, and the new levels of mastery made possible by the Polaroid I-2 – the first high-end instant camera with built-in manual controls.

The partnership between Polaroid and Magnum Photos is the latest chapter in the “Imperfectionism” movement, which champions the idea that rejecting “perfection” is the path to embracing a more creative, connected life.

The work of Magnum and Polaroid Open Call winners will be on display along with the work of their Magnum Photo mentors from November 7-10 at the Paris Photo Fair at the Grand Palais (booth P06) and as a digital exhibition on polaroid.com.

Polaroid and Magnum Photos Open Call Winners:

Jakub Stanek, Jaír Fernando Coll, Maria Beatriz de Vilhena, Mengwen Cao, D. M. Terblanche, Mohamed Hassan, Stefan Pavic, Aleruchi Kinika, Natela Grigalashvil, Jed Bacason

*Please ensure that all imagery is credited to the photographer in the filename (if provided) as well as Polaroid.