The Archive of Documentary Arts at Duke University’s Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library is pleased to announce the recipients of its annual Collection Awards. Since 2015, the awards have recognized excellence in documentary film, photography, and audio, with cash prizes and the chance to have a body of work archivally preserved at Duke.
This year’s winning projects include two photographic projects and one audio project:
- Nanna Hauge Kristensen & Mudar Salimeh | Audio | Searching for Butterflies
- Phillip Loken | Photo | The Calling: Hoodoo’s Communion with the Ancestors
- Tim Smith | Photo | The Hutterites
Download the full press release here.
See a list of past winners here.
The Awards are now closed. They typically open up in August of each year.
The Archive of Documentary Arts seeks to preserve and acquire collections of intentionally created narratives and bodies of work that document a broad range of human experience. We are committed to diversifying our collection to better reflect the multitude of viewpoints and communities from which work is being made in the documentary arts today.
The Collection Awards have recognized excellence in documentary since 2015 and we are pleased to open submissions again in 2023. This year’s award will consist of a payment of $3,500 plus additional production support, if needed. We will award 1-3 completed projects, such as a collection of photographs, or a finished film. The Archive is also interested in representing the labor of documentarians, and a well-rounded collection could also contain supplemental materials such as notebooks, raw interviews, and other research materials gathered along the way.
The Awards have grown to accept multiple media types, including photography, film/video, and audio. Each of these media have their unique submission needs. To alleviate barriers, and to account for the time and labor in preparing materials, we have adjusted our submission process.
The submission process will be divided into rounds:
Round 1:
This stage is open to any creator not affiliated with Duke University or currently enrolled in a degree-granting program. We are particularly interested in reaching a diverse group of creators.
Please send a brief email of interest with the following info.
- a project summary, including any information on how many images in the project, or run time if film/audio, and any technical specs you’d like to add
- a summary of supplemental materials you'd like us to consider as part of a potential collection
- a short statement on why your project is a good fit for the Archive of Documentary Arts
- Send this email to: RLCollectionAwards@duke.edu
- DO NOT SEND MATERIALS. No portfolio is required for this round.
Emails will be reviewed by the Curator of the Archive of Documentary Arts, and selected projects will be invited to move forward. While we recognize there are many projects that deserve to be preserved, we will only be able select ones that speak to our collection goals (see FAQ) and abilities to responsibly steward.
Round 2:
The creators of selected projects will be invited to submit a digital portfolio or links for consideration. The curatorial staff will work closely with each creator in this stage to enable the best presentation method for their project.
See a list of past winners here.
FAQs
- Can I send you jpegs or mov files? Please do not send us materials in Round 1. All we need is an email with a project statement and a brief explanation on why your project is a good fit for the Archive of Documentary Arts.
- How do I know if my project is a good fit? We are looking for work that compliment and grow our key areas of collecting. These are:
- Activism and Justice - The Archive collects documentary materials related to activism and justice, with a special interest in civil rights and incarceration.
- Faith Communities - The Archive houses several collections dedicated to exploring faith communities. Collections focus on underrepresented communities.
- Human Environmental Impacts - The Archive collections work related to the environment, with a specific interest in the human impact and environmental justice and racism.
- Labor and Work - Building on strong labor collections in the Rubenstein, the Archive of Documentary Arts seeks to add a visual history to the labor movement in the United States, with a particular focus on work in and around unions.
- Lives of Marginalized Communities - The Archive works with creators from across different communities to collect and preserve stories from within. Special attention is given to areas of race, gender identity, and citizenship.
- War on Camera - With a focus on U.S. military presence at home and abroad, the Archive collects representations of war and conflict, as well as the preparations and impact. Special attention is given to the role of the camera in making visible, and participating in, the creation of nationalism, anti-nationalism, and memory.
- How many photographs or how long does my film/audio piece need to be? We do not have strict minimums or limits; however, a well-rounded body of work would tell a story across multiple photographs, or a film/audio piece that is long enough for the needs of the story. This might mean 10 or more images (with most portfolios coming in around 10-15 images), and films/audio pieces ranging from shorts at 15minutes to feature length around 90minutes.
- Do you accept works in progress? No. We are seeking finished bodies of work.
- My project was done years/decades ago, is it too old to submit? No. We collect both historical and contemporary work.
- Do I have to give you my copyright for you to collect my project? No. You may maintain your intellectual rights. When the library collects materials, we are collecting the objects, either physical or digital, but not the IP rights. Those rights may stay with the creator. We do ask that you provide the library with permissions that enable us to use your materials for educational purposes such as teaching classes here at Duke and providing access to researchers both in the reading room and remotely. A copy of our agreement can be viewed upon request.
- What media do you accept? We accept film/video, photography, and audio. We also accept a combination of these formats. We recognize that creators might use multiple media to tell their stories and if you are invited to Round 2, we will work with you on the best presentation of these different media for the jury.
- What if my materials are digital? We accept digital collections, such as photographs in digital form, video, and audio.
- Digital is great and all, but I work in 16mm, cassettes, tin types, etc. Do you take analog media? Super! We love analog, too. To submit to the call, however, you will need to be able to present remote or digital access for the jury to review the work.
- Can I submit my book for consideration? We are not accepting books for the Collection Awards. If you’d like us to consider a book, please fill out this form and we will evaluate adding it to our book list. Book purchases are made throughout the year as they apply to both our thematic areas of interest and according to our budget.
- I have questions not answered here. Who can I contact? Please email the Curator for the Archive of Documentary Arts, Caitlin M. Kelly at caitlin.kelly@duke.edu. She may also be reached by phone at 919-681-7963 and snail mail at 411 Chapel Drive, Campus Box 90185, Durham, NC 27708. Please do not send physical materials as these will not be returned.
