Magnum X Polaroid Announce Open-Call Winners

Earlier this year, Polaroid and Magnum joined forces in reaching out to young image-makers all around the globe with the slogan, 'Become the next Imperfectionist'. Wanting to encourage young aspiring photographers to submit their work with the chance of winning a dual sponsorship by both Polaroid and Magnum, the call-out campaign set about looking for this generation's top ten aspiring image-makers, promising them with exclusive mentorship and more.

Last week, Polaroid and Magnum not only revealed the final 10 emerging artists, but also announced that as part of their award, all winners will have their work on show at this year's current Paris Photo Fair at booth P06 and will be featured digital exhibition on polaroid.com while having their work on show at this year's current Paris Photo Fair at booth P06. Hailing from all over, each young photographer was chosen by a panel headlined by Magnum photographers Enri Canaj, Jim Goldberg, and Newsha Tavakolian and were selected for their ability to tell 'empathy-evoking' stories. Browse work by the selected winners below.

Jakub Stanek (Poland)

Questioning the gender stereotypical role of fathers as 'secondary parents', Stanek's contribution offers a highly emotive photo-based essay documenting everyday life with his son. 'This is the story of my struggle for love and my attempts to rebuild parenthood on new, fairer grounds'.

Jaír Fernando Coll (Colombia)

Unlike Stanek's approach, Jaír Fernando Coll submitted work that instead of revolving around himself, provided a snapshot into the life of a Colombia-based woman called Samara, who lives with Zika-related microcephaly. Although Coll has documented Samara's story for seven years, for his most recent iteration of the project, he produced a series of black and white photographs in which Samara's family graffitied over, illustrating how each member bring's colour to Samara's life.

Maria Beatriz de Vilhena (Portugal)

Presenting a project characterised by 'identity, memory, and the geography in between', Maria Beatriz de Vilhena's submission saw her return to her birthplace near the Portuguese-Spanish border to trace her own family history in the region.

Mengwen Cao (China/USA)

Mengwen Cao's submission IDareU2Feel Radio acts as a tribute to the people and places that have shaped them, forming a love letter of sorts by way of collaborative portraiture to honour the love and support in their life as they began to prepare for the next chapter.

Mohamed Hassan (Egypt/UK)

Mohamed Hassan's contribution Witnessing Wales acts as an allegorical tale for finding a sense of belonging in Wales by providing a long-term study on community and its impact on 'nationhood'.

Stefan Pavic (Kosovo)

1999 was a big year for Albania, particularly for those based in Kosovo. Documenting the after effects as well as the region's changing landscape since that catastrophic event is Stefan Pavic, whose project highlights stories of enduring strength and unity in order to communicate and manifest a future filled with peace and harmony.

Aleruchi Kinika (Nigeria)

Looking at the inner lives of women and their roles as mothers, friends, beings, Aleruchi Kinika's project presents a series of melancholic portraits, each of which focuses on clothing, movement and background to express the complexities of being a woman - kindness, joy, worry and pain included.

Natela Grigalashvil (Georgia)

Focusing on a community shaped by economic decline, Natela Grigalashvil's photographs offer a direct portrayal of a town grappling with its industrial past by documenting the lives of miners and its residents.

D. M. Terblanche (South Africa/Germany)

'Autism is a lonelieness, for which I now have a name, after years of living in mistranslation' -D. M. Terblanche.

Not everyone is neurodiverse, but for those who are, it's common to not get a diagnosis until later in life, especially if you're a woman. Welcome to the world of D. M. Terblanche, whose contribution explores the internal world of living with autism via a unique series of self portraiture.

Jed Bacason (Philippines/UAE)

A mother's love knows no boundaries, no matter the distance. Just ask Jed Bacason, whose own childhood memories of receiving his father's letters from afar have informed his most recent project Love Mum. Wishing to explore the forever connection between a mother and their child, Bacason asked five Filipino mothers in Dubai to write heartfelt letters to their children, before capturing emotions of said mothers via classic black-and-white Polaroid portraits. Both letters and portraits were then sent to the women's children as a tangible reminder of a mother's love.