LensCulture Portrait Awards 2025: A Global Photography Call

Francesca Marani is the Senior Photo Editor of Vogue Italia.

From 2015 to 2023 she has been the Visual Editor of Global PhotoVogue and co-curator of the PhotoVogue Festival (2016-2022), the first conscious fashion photography festival dedicated to the common ground between ethics and aesthetics.

In 2018 she curated a talk series about contemporary photography at the Affordable Art Fair (Milan), she co-curated the exhibition “Italian Panorama” at the Armani/Silos and was a juror of the Ooshot Award (Paris). Over the past few years Francesca has been a portfolio lecturer for the Blink Portfolio Review (New York) and a juror of the Photolucida’s Critical Mass. In 2019 Francesca took part in “Scouting for India”(Mumbai), the Vogue Talents’ project in collaboration with FAD International Academy. In 2020 she was a member of the jury of Fresh Eyes (GUP magazine), PHmuseum Women Photographers Grant and Photoville FENCE.

In 2020 she was a juror of the PHmuseum 2020 Mobile Photo Prize, Photoville FENCE and did portfolio reviews for Eddie Adams Portfolio Review, Perimetro Collective Review and Italy Photo Award. In 2021 she was a member of the jury of LensCulture Portrait Awards and did portfolio reviews for Fotografia Europea - Reggio Emilia, SI Fest - Savignano sul Rubicone, Eddie Adams Workshop and PhMuseum Days. In 2022 she did portfolio reviews for the Biennale della Fotografia Femminile di Mantova, Planches Contact Deauville Photography Festival, Fotografia Europea and FUTURES conversation. In 2024 she curated photography exhibitions in Rome for Leica's initiative ‘Roma ChilometroZero’ (in collaboration with Contrasto) and was a portfolio reviewer for PHEST Monopoli.

Francesca regularly collaborates with several photography festivals and schools as portfolio reviewer and lecturer.

As art director she has curated advertising campaigns for Benetton, Huawei, Yuzen and special projects for Off-White, Audi, Diesel, Dyson, Mazda, Martini, Sensai, Xiaomi, Crivelli, Pomellato, Kiko, Loewe, Vespa, Adidas.

www.vogue.it

Clare Freestone has worked at the NPG for over two decades. During that time, she has produced many displays and has acquired images for the Gallery’s Collection, which spans the 1840s to the present day. Clare has a particular research interest in the careers of pioneering women throughout the history of photography. She curated Ida Kar: Bohemian Photographer (2011) and wrote the accompanying publication. Her most recent exhibition, Yevonde: Life and Colour (2023), shone a light on an extraordinary and influential woman who gained freedom through photography and blazed a trail for subsequent artists. She was a judge for and the curator of the Taylor Wessing Photographic Prize 2024.

www.npg.org.uk

Noelle Théard has been the senior digital photo editor at The New Yorker since 2021. She was the program officer at Magnum Foundation from 2016 to 2021, and is a co-founder of FotoKonbit, a nonprofit organization created in 2010 to engage and support Haitians telling their own stories through photography.

www.newyorker.com

Alex Kahl is the Online Editor of WePresent, the arts platform of WeTransfer. He runs WePresent Selects—their monthly series of eight stories about artists from around the world—leading the curation and working closely with each artist featured to find the best way to tell their story and represent their work, both digitally and through events and activations.

The WePresent Selects spotlight a wide variety of artists, from more established names to those at earlier stages in their careers, with many of them using the space to premiere new projects. The series has so far featured photographers such as Mous Lamrabat, Carolyn Drake and Simon Wheatley, and in total WePresent has featured work from over 1000 artists from more than 120 countries across the globe.

Alex has been working at WePresent since 2018 and in that time the platform has won numerous awards, including an Academy Award, Cannes Lions, Webbys, D&AD awards and a BIFA.

wepresent.wetransfer.com

As the Photography & Video Director at T Magazine: The New York Times Style Magazine, Nadia Vellam leads a team of creatives in producing compelling photography and video content, shaping the brand’s storytelling and aesthetic vision across print and digital platforms.

With a career spanning over a decade, she has directed high-profile shoots, collaborated with renowned photographers including; Mert and Marcus, Craig McDean, Pieter Hugo, Richard Mosse, and Mitch Epstein, to and built visual narratives that elevate the magazine's identity. Previously, as Photo Director at WSJ Magazine and Photo Editor at W Magazine, she refined her expertise in editorial curation and art direction.

Beyond her editorial work, Nadia is an active mentor and educator, serving as a guest judge, lecturer, and portfolio consultant for institutions such as Aperture Magazine, Parsons The New School, and NYU’s Summer Publishing Institute, as well as a mentor for SVA’s BFA Photography program. She holds a Master of Fine Arts from the School of Visual Arts.

www.nytimes.com

Ramón Reverté is editor-in-chief and creative director of RM's photobook program since it was founded in Mexico in 1999. He has edited more than 180 books that are distributed throughout the world in English and Spanish. RM's photobook program, now based in Barcelona, is the most extensive program of its kind in Latin America and Spain.

He has spoken and taught at major forums in the world of photography such as The Photobook Forum at Kassel, Germany; The Latin American Photobook Symposium at Aperture, New York; and the Fórum Latino Americano de Fotografia in Sao Paulo, Brazil, to name a few. He also served as a jury member for the International Center of Photography's 2013 Infinity Awards.

Ramón is one of the authors of The Latin American Photobook, which was awarded the historical book award at the Rencontres d'Arles photography festival. He is also the creator and promoter of RM's Latin American Photobook Contest, held annually since 2010.

editorialrm.com

Breann Birkenbuel is the Photography Manager for National Geographic’s newsstand special titles, where she leads the visual strategy and content production across both print and digital platforms. She has elevated the photography of National Geographic’s special titles by refining editorial curation, commissioning dynamic storytelling, and ensuring the highest visual standards.

She manages editorial visual production, overseeing photo editing, asset curation, licensing, and workflow optimization to ensure compelling storytelling. Breann launched National Geographic’s first editorial talent database, enhancing opportunities for photographers, and spearheaded the Second Assistant Grant Program to mentor emerging visual storytellers. Her leadership has strengthened production efficiency and elevated the visual impact of National Geographic’s special titles.

www.nationalgeographic.com

Jim Casper is the editor-in-chief and co-founder of LensCulture, one of the leading online destinations to discover new contemporary photography from around the world. As an active member in the contemporary photography world, Casper loves to meet with photographers and review their portfolios. He curates art exhibitions, publishes books, conducts workshops, serves as an international juror and nominator for key awards, and is an advisor to arts and education organizations.

www.lensculture.com