make it real: staged narrative in portraiture

The Kuala Lumpur International Photoawards [KLPA] is an annual global portrait photography prize seeking the very best and fresh entries from photographers of all levels. Initiated in 2009, KLPA is recognised as a significant and vital award in the photography calendar, supporting and rewarding contemporary portraiture practice especially in the South East Asian region.

We invite submissions to the theme MAKE IT REAL - Staged Narrative in Portraiture this year, with the top 3 winners receiving cash grants and exhibition opportunities in Kuala Lumpur.

Although photography is often called a literal art form, portraiture can push the boundaries on the literal with constructed narrative. The 2024 theme of MAKE IT REAL : Staged Narrative in Portraiture seeks the deeper trajectories of storytelling, alternative realities or make-believe tales that infect our minds.

One can say that most directed portrait sessions are staged or constructed, to a degree - as in fashion photography, formal, environmental and self-portraiture, as opposed to candid street or reportage photography. The re-enactment of histories and new identities allows viewers to enter into fable-esque worlds as in cinema or theatre productions and encourages dialogue and discourse because life is full of complexities that exist beyond mere art.

KLPA2024 invites photographers to submit staged portrait studies, from the simple command of 'turning of the head to face the camera', conceptualised self-portraits, to elaborately constructed set designs. Let's push the boundaries!