The Denis Roussel Award was started in 2018 to honor the legacy of photographer and educator Denis Roussel and to highlight work done by photographers whose work is based on the historical/alternative photographic processes, including silver gelatin.
Every year we are pleased and humbled to see the portfolios of work that come in from across the country and Internationally. This year we are honored to have author and educator Christopher James return as our juror.
A special thank you to Rachel Roussel-Diamond and family for your encouragement and support. Thank you Josephine Sacabo for your ongoing support of the Denis Roussel Award.
Information
Timeline
On March 5, 2024, we will start accepting submissions at rfotofolio@rfotofolio.org.
June 27, 2024 midnight CST is the deadline.
On August 14, 2023, results will be announced on rfotofolio.org.
Who is this award for?
The Denis Roussel Award is open to all photographers whose work is based on the historical/alternative photographic processes, including silver gelatin. All work must be created by the person submitting. Due to copyright considerations no AI work is permitted.
The Denis Roussel Award is judged as a portfolio of seven images.
1. Please send seven images.
2. Please tell us about yourself, and why you are applying for the Denis Roussel Award.
3. Tell us about the work you are submitting and the process you are using.
4. In your e-mail please include your website address if you have one. E-mail your application to rfotofolio@rfotofolio.org with “2024 Denis Roussel Award” in the subject line.
If you have any questions please e-mail them to rfotofolio@rfotofolio.org.
How to prepare your files.
Prepare your files with the following specifications:
Dimensions should be 1840 pixels on the longest side.
Saved as a JPEG. No Watermarks / Copyright Units / Logos on image files.
File naming is as follows. LAST NAME _FIRST NAME_ TITLE.jpg
, for example Smith_Jill_MoonOverRiver_.jpg
Donate with our Paypal button. We leave the amount up to you so that we will not exclude anyone. There is no fee to enter. Your donation supports Rfotofolio and the Rfotofolio grants.
The Denis Roussel Award
One photographer will be selected for The Denis Roussel Award, the award includes: An award of a $2,000 cash award. A two hundred and fifty dollar gift certificate from Bostick & Sullivan for alt-process supplies. A gift of paper from Hahnemuhle Paper. Mark Nelson’s ebook on Precision Digital Negatives.
Works of Merit Award
There will also be two Works of Merit Awards chosen by our juror for an award of $500.00 each. This year Rfotofolio will chose an additional portfolio for an award of $500.00. Thank you to Josephine Sacabo and the Roussel Family for making these cash awards possible.
The Denis Roussel Award winner and photographers whose work is chosen for Work of Merit honors will be featured on Rfotofolio with a future interview, and be included in future publications, and in future exhibitions.
Christopher James Award
Christopher James will select a photograher to receive a portfolio review.
About our juror.
Christopher James is an internationally known artist and photographer whose photographs, paintings, prints and alternative process image-making have been exhibited in museums and galleries in this country and abroad. His work has been published and shown extensively, including solo and group exhibitions in the Museum of Modern Art, Metropolitan Museum of Art, George Eastman House, Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Institute of Contemporary Art – Boston. Represented by the Lee Witkin Gallery in New York City for over two decades he has also shown at Pace-McGill (NYC), Contrasts Gallery (London), Michelle Chomette (Paris), Hartje Gallery and Photokina (Berlin), Rosa Esman Gallery (New York), and The Carl Siembab Gallery and The Institute of Contemporary Art (Boston).
He has been published extensively including Aperture, Camera (Switzerland), American Photographer, Solstice (for short fiction), and Interview magazine and in books such as The Antiquarian Avant Garde, á Prova de Aguà: Waterproof, Human Documents, and Handcrafted: The Art and Practice of the Handmade Print (China). All three editions of his book, The Book of Alternative Photographic Processes have received international critical acclaim and are universally recognized by artists, curators, historians, and educators as the definitive text in the genre of alternative process photography and photographically integrated media.
A significantly expanded 900 page / 700 image, 3rd edition, was published recently. Christopher, after 13 years, and as an Associate Professor, at Harvard University, is presently University Professor and Director of the MFA in Photography and Integrated Media program at Lesley University College of Art and Design in Cambridge, MA. He received his undergraduate degree from Massachusetts College of Art and his masters from the Rhode Island School of Design. He is a photographer, printmaker, painter, graphic designer, author and a professional scuba diver.
To learn more about Christopher James please visit his site at Christopher James Studio.
About Denis Roussel
If you where lucky enough to have a conversation with Denis or to be a student of his you knew how much Denis loved photography. He was always willing to share his knowledge with others. Denis worked on projects where even the compost bin was his muse, showing us that there is beauty everywhere. His landscapes and portraits have been an inspiration to many.He was an educator as well as a gifted artist. In 2017, Denis lost his battle with cancer. All of us lost the pleasure of seeing new work and learning from this creative and resourceful artist. His work and generous spirit inspires us and is the foundation of the Denis Roussel Award to learn more about Denis Roussel please visit his page at Denis Roussel.
Thank you Denis for your inspiration.
Thank you to the following individuals and businesses for your support of the Denis Roussel Award and Rfotofolio. Carol Boss and Hahnemühle paper. Mark Nelson and Precision Digital Negative. Bostick & Sullivan for a two hundred-dollar gift certificate, andChristopher James for his donation of a portfolio review.
