2025 dummy award
On view: Thursday, August 21st — Saturday, September, 13th, 2025
Gallery Hours: Monday – Friday, 11am – 6pm
Presented by the PhotoBook Museum and Penumbra Foundation.
Penumbra Foundation is pleased to be the North American exhibitor of the 2025 Dummy Award, a worldwide tour of photobook dummies.
Since 2010, photographers worldwide are invited to take part in the Dummy Awards. This year, the Dummy Award received 395 books from 48 countries, from which 50 books were selected for a shortlist to be exhibited at international photography events.
Exhibiting venues each conduct a vote to determine the year’s best titles, either by public vote or by curator’s choice. Together with the votes of the shortlist jury, 5 books will be selected from the shortlist.
The book that receives the most votes will be produced and published by the leading Turkish photobook printing and bindhouse MAS Matbaa, in cooperation with the PhotoBookMuseum. The other top four books will receive a publication grant for printing their books at MAS Matbaa.
Learn more about the 2025 Dummy Award World Tour the PhotoBookMuseum/MAS Prize at the dummyaward.org.
This exhibition is part of the programming for In The Fold, a forum uniquely dedicated to the medium of the photobook. Learn more about In The Fold programming and schedules at photobooksatpenumbrafoundation.org.
VOTE
Public voting for the 2025 Dummy Award will be open during In The Fold. Official ballots can be cast in-person only. Visit and make your choice!
IN THE FOLD
Wednesday, September 10th – Saturday, 13th, 2025
In the Fold is a forum uniquely dedicated to the medium of the photobook, highlighting the processes between photography, publishing, and education. Open to the public, the forum kicks off Wednesday, September 10th with an opening reception and celebration. It continues Thursday, September 11th through Saturday, September 13th, featuring the 2025 Photobook Dummy Awards selection, book presentations from the Penumbra Long Term Program and Risograph Photobook Residency, conversations with photobook scholars and publishers, and demonstrations with artists and designers.
Full schedule to be announced August 21st!
For more information, visit photobooksatpenumbrafoundation.org
Ackknowledgements
Penumbra’s Project Gallery is generously supported in part by the Joy of Giving Something.
About Penumbra Foundation
Penumbra Foundation is a non-profit organization that brings together the Art and Science of Photography through education, research, outreach, public and residency programs. Its goal is to be a comprehensive resource for photographers at any level, artists, students, professionals, historians, researchers, conservators and curators. Penumbra specializes in advancing the use of historic and alternative photographic technologies for contemporary image-making.
About the Project Gallery
The 300 square-foot Project Gallery offers emerging and mid-career artists a place to present new work. The exhibitions are developed in conjunction with Penumbra's editorial or educational programming.
Contact: Lisa di Donato | lisa@penumbrafoundation.org