Golden Lens artist reception, Prize Fest kicks off at Central ARTSTATION

SHREVEPORT, La. (KSLA) - A photography exhibition helps kick off the Prize Fest events of 2023.

On Feb. 8, an art reception will be held for an exhibition highlighting select photographers that submitted to the Golden Lens competition during the two weeks of Prize Fest in 2022. The event will happen at the Central ARTSTATION, located at the Shreveport Regional Arts Council, 801 Crockett Street, downtown Shreveport. The exhibition is open Monday - Friday from 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m.

The Golden Lens was a collaborative effort between the Prize Foundation and Bossier Parish Community College Foundation for photographers to submit work made in Caddo and Bossier parishes. The photography aimed at celebrating North Louisiana.

During the reception, on Feb. 8, the Prize Fest Foundation announced the opening of its award-winning competitions in filmmaking, music, fashion, food, and comedy. Together the competitions will award over $100,000 in cash prizes.

“We are so excited about this year’s competitions and being a part of building our city’s creative economy,” said Founder and Executive Director of the Prize Foundation Gregory Kallenberg. “Last year was an epic year for the Prize, and we are counting on another big year of celebrating and rewarding creativity.”

The Prize Fest staff reported record-breaking numbers from the 2022 competition year, including the largest-ever number of Film Prize entries, the most Comedy Prize submissions, a massive Taco Wars attendance, and the most votes cast in a single year across all competitions. The Film Prize was also named one of the “Best Short Films in the World”, a title only held by 25 festivals.

Exhibiting Artists for Golden Lens:

• Jacob Mitchell
• Ikron Alexander
• Hannah Fulton
• Joshua Mokry
• Kendall Clay
• Kevey Johnson
• Megan Murphy
• Megan Scogin
• Paul Belcher
• Naomi Hannis
• Sydney Michel
• Deborah Lillie
• P. Michael LeBlanc
• Carol Record
• Kermit C Burns
• Daphne Blount
• Mason Cullen
• Emmanuel Tice

A panel of professional photographers, who specialize in commercial and fine art selected a collection of images to be shown in the exhibition.

A grand prize winner will be awarded $750 and a People’s Choice winner will receive $250. The exhibition has been on display since Jan. 12 and will continue to be on show until Feb. 11.

Four of the six competitions have been officially opened, including Film Prize ($50,000 grand prize), Music Prize ($10,000 grand prize), Fashion Prize ($2,500 grand prize), and Comedy Prize ($2,500 grand prize). Other prizes include various cash prizes, grants, and stipends for finalist competitors, totaling over $100,000.

Food Prize and Taco Wars competitor announcements will be made in the coming weeks.

You can follow the Golden Lens event on Facebook by visiting https://fb.me/e/3dX3ZK9nq or follow Film Prize by visiting https://prizefest.com/film/.

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