September 25, 2014, San Francisco, CA — The Bob Mizer Foundation is proud to announce the
First Annual Bob Mizer Emerging Photographer Competition in celebration of both the Foundation’s
4th anniversary and what would mark the 70th anniversary of the beginning of Mizer’s career.
Entries will be evaluated by a panel of internationally recognized professionals including
photography critic Vince Aletti, working artist John Sonsini and editor Dian Hanson of Taschen
Publishing. Winners will receive cash and original, unpublished Bob Mizer photographs.
Bob Mizer, most widely known for his groundbreaking male ‘physique photography’ of the 1950’s and
60’s, was not only an artist but an early activist for equality. Through his published photography and
writing, Mizer encouraged freedom of expression and sought to remove the stigma attached to artistic depictions of male nudity.
The Bob Mizer Foundation Photography Competition is intended to showcase the artistic and
experimental nature of Bob Mizer’s private, unreleased work by encouraging contemporary
photographers to pursue and share their own experimental endeavors. While Mizer’s best-known work was erotic or semi-erotic in nature, his experimental work often was not. This competition is open to all subject matter — from mild to wild.
Since the beginning of his career in 1951, Bob Mizer provided a safe environment for emerging artists that encouraged artistic growth and freedom of expression. It is in that same spirit that Dennis Bell, the President and Founder of the Bob Mizer Foundation, has conceived this competition.
Bell’s primary focus is to encourage emerging, unknown photographers to publicly share their vision.
Professional photographers are welcome to submit experimental work that has not been commercially sold or publicly exhibited. Images should focus on experimental photographic methods—whether historic or modern—and may be shot digitally. There will be a separate category for analog photography.
Entry categories are: Figurative, Portraiture, Erotic; ‘Retro,’ Any Subject, and Analog Camera, i.e.
traditional film.
Entries must be received by the closing date of November 30th, 2014. Applications are available on
BMF’s website BobMizerFoundation.org. Winners of the 1st Annual Bob Mizer Foundation Emerging
Photographer Competition will be announced on December 30th.
For further details about the 2014 Bob Mizer Emerging Artist Competition, including the list of awards, award judges, and their credentials, visit: http://support.bobmizerfoundation.org/2014_emerging_photographer_competition.
The Bob Mizer Foundation Inc. was established in 2010 by photographer Dennis Bell for charitable and educational purposes, and as an organization committed to promoting and preserving the works of progressive and controversial photographers. A 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, the Foundation is supported by grants, donations, and the contributions made by its devoted members, interns, and volunteers.