Selection Committee

The selection process for the Rotterdam Photo contests consists of three rounds of evaluation. In each round, the photography experts panel (selection committee) will individually review entries and select a group of entries in each category to proceed to the following round.

Entries will be judged based on creativity, photographic quality, and effectiveness in expressing the contest theme. Winners will be announced on this website as well as on social media channels.

 

Meet the selection committee 2026:

Dutch Talent Project Grants

 

Mira Matić

Curator, Spatial Designer

Mira Matić is an experienced and passionate curator and spatial designer. 20 years of work in the Dutch Photography Museum has taught her to connect the conceptual realm of the artist with the practical world of exhibitions and interiors. She has worked with various people from diverse artistic backgrounds and photographers like Alfredo Jaar, Sebastio Salgado, Bruce Davidson, Martin Schuler and Jacqueline Hassing. Working with these artists has opened her eyes to the magic of integrating photography and art in spatial design. She thoroughly enjoys translating conceptual ideas into space, material and colour and has the technological knowledge and hands-on mentality to get things done.

 

Marcel Kollen

Freelance photographer. Managing director of Rotterdam Photo

Marcel Kollen is a photographer from Rotterdam. Besides his visual practice, he is a renowned entrepreneur in the cultural life of Rotterdam. He organized festivals such as Route du Nord and led projects for Kunsthal Rotterdam and Het Nieuwe Instituut, among others. In 2015, he initiated Rotterdam Photo to generate a wider stage and support for national and international photographers during Art Rotterdam Week. He likes to create new activities for image-makers and wants to propagate image culture in all its facets in the Rotterdam region.

 

Jaasir Linger

Interdisciplinary Visual Artist, Photographer and Filmmaker

Jaasir Linger is an interdisciplinary visual artist, photographer and filmmaker with Surinamese roots, living in Rotterdam. Based on research into his Surinamese roots, the traditional Afro-Surinamese Winti religion and Suriname’s shared history with the Netherlands, he develops ideas that he translates into installation art, among other things. In 2019, Linger graduated from the Fotoacademie Amsterdam as an autonomous image maker, and he subsequently earned his Master of Arts from the Sandberg Institute. During Linger’s academy time, he won the “Golden Freelancer Award 2016/2017” with the interactive VPRO documentary “Gliphoeve – A Forgotten Struggle. In addition, Linger is a former visual arts advisory committee member of the Amarte Fund. Linger’s works have been exhibited at Museum Het Rembrandthuis, Amsterdam Museum, Het Nieuwe Instituut, Völkerkundemuseum Herrnhut, Bijbels Museum and Documenta Fifteen, among others.

 

General Open Call

 

Amelie Schüle

Director of Photoforum Pasquart in Biel/Bienne

Amelie Schüle has been the Director of Photoforum Pasquart in Biel/Bienne since 2023. In this role, she oversees a dynamic program dedicated to supporting emerging and mid-career photographers while promoting contemporary photography. Her work focuses on the intersection of artistic production, culture, and society, with an emphasis on empowering people to actively engage with social structures, politics, and their surroundings. Before joining Photoforum Pasquart, Amelie worked at Foam Photography Museum and Unseen in Amsterdam, where she curated exhibitions, developed public programming, and supported emerging talents. She also has experience in the gallery sector in Switzerland. Amelie holds a master’s degree in Curatorial Studies from the Zurich University of the Arts. Beyond her institutional roles, she is actively involved in the photography community, participating in portfolio reviews, mentoring artists, and guest lecturing.

 

Ângela Ferreira

Artist, Curator, and Researcher in the field of Photography and Contemporary Visual Culture

Ângela Ferreira (aka Berlinde, Porto, 1975) is an artist, curator, and researcher in the field of Photography and Contemporary Visual Culture. Her work promotes critical thinking, artistic experimentation, and interdisciplinary reflection on images, archives, and visual narratives. She coordinated the Photopoetics Strategic Plan at Porto Iracema das Artes (Fortaleza) and has been part of the general coordination team of the SOLAR PhotoFestival since 2018, where she also serves as artistic director. She is a member of the curatorial board of the Photography Museum of Fortaleza and is affiliated with the Oracle World Photography Association. Ângela currently teaches at the University of Minho and the Lusophone University of Lisbon, with a focus on photobooks, and is co-founder of NERVO – Portuguese Photobook Observatory. She lives between Portugal and Brazil, where she explores narrative transversality through photography and the photobook as an artistic and curatorial medium.

 

Erik Vroons (1976, The Netherlands) is Editor in Chief for GUP, international magazine for creative contemporary photography, and Editor-at-large for the associated platforms: GUP NEW (Dutch Photography Talent) and Fresh Eyes Photo. He furthermore initiates collaborations with emerging artists, in the form of group shows at festivals and galleries around the world. Besides GUP, he is active as a freelance author, educator, and curator in the realm of the visual arts.