Simon ARCACHE, winner of the Prix Voltaire 2023

We are delighted to announce the winner of the Prix Voltaire de la Photographie:
Simon ARCACHE (“Going Up, Going Down – Journey into the intimacy of the Blues”).
The fruit of several visits to the southern United States, this series of classic portraits illustrates, with undeniable emotion and humanism, the relationships the photographer forged with many blues musicians, in particular the pianist Ironing Board Sam. He suffered a stroke in 2015, bringing his fifty-year musical career to an abrupt end. Like a true photographic archivist trying to slow down time, Simon ARCACHE, himself a musician, is going to document with passion what he calls “the beauty and richness of a life devoted to music“. Using silver prints that he makes himself, the photographer shows us faces, hands and simple scenes of life. With that mythical blues in the background, “Going Up, Going Down“is an intimate journey to the heart of sounds that are sometimes forgotten, and which for some remain only in the memory of a palm embracing a guitar, fingers dancing on the keys of a piano or a voice that has almost faded away. There’s a nostalgic tribute in this series, like the smile that concludes a set that made us shudder…
“These photographs are my way of giving back to these artists a little of what they have given me, by showing what can sometimes no longer be heard, by giving them a form of recognition that transcends language and borders, and by confronting the folk romanticism so often associated with the Blues with a range of social, human and political realities;

The entire Prix Voltaire de la Photographie team would like to offer its sincere congratulations to the two finalists;
Lucas FREYSSINET (“Føroyskur Ungdómur”) and Emile MOUTAUD (“Plonger”)
for the quality of their work and their positive photographic spirit; Ils verront un extrait de leur série produit et exposé lors de l’itinérance dans les monuments nationaux sélectionnés.
We would also like to thank the entire jury for the fascinating debates that led to the final decision.
The prize tour will begin in October at the Château de Bussy-Rabutin in the Côte d’Or.

Prix Voltaire 2023 – The 3 finalists are…

We are delighted to announce the names of the three finalists for the Prix Voltaire de la Photographie 2023!

Lucas FRAYSSINET (series FØroyskur UngdÓmur)

Simon ARCACHE (series Going up, Going down – An intimate journey through the blues)

Émile MOUTAUD (series Plonger).

Lucas, Simon and Émile will be auditioned by the jury on 29 June 2023 at the Château de Voltaire in Ferney-Voltaire;

Prix Voltaire 2023 – The Shortlist!

The shortlisted candidates for the Prix Voltaire de la Photographie 2023 are :

Maxime MICHELET (My sisters and brothers), Simon ARCACHE (Going Up, Going down – An intimate journey through the blues), Ophélie GIRALT (Sagnir), Lucas FRAYSSINET (fØroyskur UngdÓmur), Émile MOUTAUD (Plonger), Emanuela CHERCHI (Tumbarino).

The three finalists will be announced after 17 May 2023.

Opus 2 – nomination of the 2023 jury

The organizing committee of the Prix Voltaire de la Photographie is pleased to announce the appointment of its jury for the Prix Voltaire 2023.
Composed of renowned professionals in the field of photography,
this jury will have the difficult task of selecting the winners from among the applications received.
Discover the jury members here

Opus 2 – opening of the call for applications

Applications for the Voltaire Photography Prize are open.
Your application must reach us before March 31, 2023, containing the selection file and the signed regulations.

Last stage 2022: Château de Bussy-Rabutin

Invitation to the inauguration of the last stage,
November 19, 2022 at the Château de Bussy-Rabutin

Presentation of the Voltaire Prize for Photography Friday September 3 at 6 p.m.

The winner of the Voltaire Prize will face the public on Saturday September 4 at 10 a.m.
An exceptional opportunity to discuss with him about his series and his work as a photojournalist.

Have you ever entered in a camera?
This is what the Center des Monuments Nationaux invites you to do, with Maréva Druilhe, finalist of the Prix Voltaire de la Photographie 2020, by creating an installation that reproduces the interior of a camera obscura.
A dark room, with the exception of a tiny luminous entrance: this is the optical principle of photography.
Come and admire the exterior, seen from inside the Château de Voltaire on Saturday September 4, from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Extension of the Voltaire Prize for Photography exhibition at the Place des photographes (Arles)

Exhibition by Mathieu MENARD (2020 winner), Maréva DRUILHE and Nuno ROQUE (finalists).

Interview with Mathieu Menard, winner of the 2020 Voltaire Photography Prize