First Elfriede Mejchar Award Announced – noe.ORF.at

The Elfriede Mejchar Award aims to “encourage and honor all those photographers who place the essence of media photography at the center of their photographic work,” the heirs community broadcast Monday. The award is not subject to any age limit and is awarded every two years until at least 2036.

The award will be awarded for the first time in spring 2024 at the Landesgalerie in Krems. The broadcast announced that the frame of this will be an exhibition to be held in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the birth of the photographer. The value of the award is 7,000 euros. In addition, an exhibition at Wolkersdorf Castle in Weinviertel (District Mistelbach) will be dedicated to the prize winner.

Maximum of 20 works per application

The prize is funded by the sale of books, furniture, artwork, and photographs from the estate of Elfriede Mejchar. The four-person jury consists of artist Renate Bertelmann, author, curator and lecturer on contemporary art and photography Ruth Horak, post-1960 art group head in the Lower Austrian State Collections Alexandra Chantel and photographer and community representative. From the heirs of Fritz Simak.

Photographers who hold Austrian citizenship or have had permanent residence in Austria for three years can apply. Applications can be submitted in German or English and only in digital form. Documents must contain a maximum of 20 works with details of the work including copyright information, biography and registration form. Applications can be submitted from October 1 to October 25.

Magshar donated the entire business of the country

Elfriede Mejchar is one of the most important figures in Austrian photography. In 2013 she donated her entire works to the state of Lower Austria. Her work is also prominently represented in the Vienna Museum’s collection, in the Federal Government’s Photographic Collection and in the “SpallArt” private art collection.

The artist, who died in 2020, won the Artistic Photography Award from the Federal Chancellery in 2002, the Artistic Photography Award from the State of Lower Austria in 2004, and the Vienna City Prize for Fine Arts.