Introducing the inaugural Angry Whale Photo Zine Awards — a celebration of independent photo zines.

Deadline: Entries must be postmarked by September 1, 2025.

Angry Whale Photo Zine Awards

P.O. Box 2267
West Columbia, SC 29171

Eligibility:

Zines must include photography as a primary element

Must have been published on or after January 1, 2024

Entries may be handmade or professionally printed

International entries welcome

No generative AI

One entry per person

Awards:

1st Place: $200 USD / Ultimate button pack

2nd & 3rd Place: Award Certificates / Cool button pack

Judging Criteria:
Entries will be reviewed by Sean Rayford (me) and at least two other photographers/zine makers. Zines will be evaluated based on:

Photography

Design

Craftsmanship

Originality

Content/Storytelling

All submitted zines will be added to The Angry Whale Photo Zine Collection.

Winners announced: October 15, 2025.

About: I’ve been making zines since the early aughts when I published an indie music zine, with a staff and contributors of my coworkers at the record store where I worked. Before turning full-time into photography, I bartended at a live music venue. For the last decade, I’ve been freelancing with The New York Times, Getty Images, The Associated Press and many others.

You can check out some of my recent photo zines and books in my store.

I’m starting these awards, which I hope will return each year — as a way to promote and highlight the creative process in photography beyond the photo dump, disappearing social media posts — and during the rise of artificial intelligence. I hope to house the Angry Whale Photo Zine Collection at a library in South Carolina.