“Snap into the 2025 Season: Join the Exciting Prize Fest Photography Challenge!”

To commence the 2025 Prize Fest season with excitement, the Prize Foundation organized a launch event and the Golden Lens competition on January 14.

The gathering invigorated the creative community of Shreveport and Bossier by linking local artists to take part in Prize Fest. 2025 signifies the 14th season for the festival, and Gregory Kallenberg, founder and executive director of the Prize Foundation, expresses that the event serves as a wonderful kickoff to the season.

“When creative individuals in Shreveport and Bossier can come together and celebrate one another, that, to me, signifies that the objective has been achieved,” states Kallenberg.

During the festivities, Film Prize disclosed the commencement of submissions for the season. Everyone from actors to producers, directors, and technicians were invited to network and commence their work for the competition’s $50,000 cash award.

“While we will certainly be ringing a bell and encouraging people from all parts of the nation to visit Shreveport for the Film Prize, we’re also here to honor the locals who engage in creative endeavors and desire to join that inventive community to construct something extraordinary that is unique compared to anywhere else in the nation,” Kallenberg remarks.

The Golden Lens final exhibition took place at the competition, representing the latest addition to the Prize Fest lineup. Kallenberg mentions that the competition was established to grant recognition to photographers, a group that has not been previously acknowledged in the festival’s events.

“One thing I truly aimed to accomplish was to establish a venue where photographers could enjoy similar opportunities as filmmakers, musicians, comedians, and chefs at Prize Fest,” he shares.

To realize this vision, the Golden Lens competition provides up to a $1000 prize for photographers who capture the essence of Shreveport and Bossier. Kallenberg notes that competitors can originate from anywhere, provided that the entries depict the cities.

Hence, there’s this remarkable blend of architectural imagery, portraits, and scenes from the Red River. You will find photographs depicting equestrian life and the bird species inhabiting the nearby wilderness.

Moreover, the timeframe for the competition permits submissions of photographs taken during the previous season of Prize Fest. Kallenberg expresses that this holds particular significance for him.

“Observing these photographers, not just from Shreveport and Bossier but from across the nation, coming to our region and documenting Prize Fest through their perspectives…it’s simply something that offers an astonishing and distinctive viewpoint,” he articulates.

“Photographers traveled from various regions of the country to be a part of this event because, fundamentally, what the Prize Foundation endeavors to do is celebrate creativity. We strive to cultivate that community. Our goal is to attract individuals to our city who will foster growth and enhance our identity,” Kallenberg adds. “The Prize Foundation and Prize Fest are, indeed, nurtured through the perspectives of those who perceive our city differently. Just as a photographer arrives and truly focuses on elements that everyday individuals working downtown, like myself, may overlook.”

For the third annual Golden Lens, Jacob Mitchell’s Blue in Green was awarded the Judge’s Choice title for $1000, while the Audience Choice accolade worth $500 went to Jill Stripling’s Stillness.

“Everything we do has, in some sense, a cunning strategy,” Kallenberg explains. “What we hoped was for people to authentically showcase Shreveport’s downtown area and Bossier’s downtown, and the finalists exceeded those expectations. They truly captured something remarkably special, embodying the character of both downtowns in Shreveport and Bossier.”

Reporting for Red River Radio News, I am Alaina Atnip.