Sponsors
The Hansel Mieth Prize
Zeitenspiegel dedicates this award to its member and friend Johanna “Hansel” Mieth of Santa Rosa, California (1909-1998).
Born in Oppelsbohm, Württemberg, Hansel grew up in a strict Protestant household. She ran away to America with her boyfriend Otto Hagel at the age of 15, initially surviving on day and migrant labor. The couple’s earliest photographs, taken at first with the simplest cameras and later with a used Leica, reflect the perspective of the underdog: images from the everyday routine of the poor, the unemployed, cotton pickers, American Indians. Hansel Mieth’s credo: “To be a good photographer, you have to feel what people feel when they’re down.” Hansel and Otto got to know renowned photographers like Robert Capa and Eugene W. Smith and helped create the new socially conscious and concerned photo essay. Demanding respect rather than charity for their subjects, they took sides without straining for romantic pathos. As Hansel Mieth put it, “Empathy is the first injustice.” Starting in 1937, the headstrong Swabian worked as a photo reporter at the newly founded magazine LIFE.
The Hansel Mieth Prize seeks to recognize socially conscious photo features appearing in German language print media. The award of six thousand euros is awarded for a complete article (text and photos).
What articles are eligible?
The award will be given for a feature in German produced after January 1, 2009, published or unpublished. Photos may be in black and white or color.
The submission deadline is January 15, 2010. Finalists will be announced two months later.