Behind the Scenes: The Judging Stage

Every year, the Awards are decided by a panel of internationally respected jurors from the fields of photography, art, and curation. For the 2025 edition, the jury included Sylvia Janschek, Matthias Weissengruber, Leon Boch, and Milad Safabakhsh.

Judging thousands of submissions is a demanding process, often involving hours of review, discussion, and comparison. According to the organizers, the jury looked for works that captured the spirit of minimalism — clarity, simplicity, balance, and strong storytelling. With so many high-quality entries, narrowing the field to a select group of winners was both challenging and inspiring.

As Milad Safabakhsh, founder of the Awards, explained:
“Minimalist photography is not just about reducing elements in a frame, but about revealing meaning through simplicity. This year, the submissions reflected incredible creativity and discipline, the challenge was not in finding good work, but in choosing from so many outstanding ones.”

Leon Boch, Art Director of Galerie am Lindenplatz and jury member, added:
“It was a pleasure to serve as a juror for this year’s Minimalist Photography Awards. The overwhelming number of submissions from around the world not only highlights the international appeal of the competition but also, more importantly, underscores the enduring relevance of minimalist visual language in contemporary photography. I was particularly impressed by the quality of the work: clear compositions, subtle details, and powerful ideas that demonstrate just how much expressive force can be achieved through reduction. Each image had its own character and offered a fresh perspective. A big thank you to all the artists who made this inspiring exchange possible through their contributions.”