German Youth Photography Award

When does a visual identity become an invitation rather than a definition?

Context

Since 1961, the Deutscher Jugendfotopreis has provided a platform for young photographers across Germany, encouraging children, teenagers, and young adults to use photography as a means of personal and artistic expression. The 2024 edition brought together thousands of submissions, including works responding to the annual theme #OK BOOMER,?! and its questions around generations and their perspectives.

Approach

Borrowing the visual language of stickers, the campaign adopts a medium used to comment, mark, and communicate directly. A flexible layer of typographic stickers carries identity, information, and messaging without imposing a fixed layout on the submitted photographs. While printed as part of posters, the system becomes physical on postcards and invitations: sticker sheets allow elements to be placed and combined freely, enabling the team to create individual compositions themselves. The system keeps the photographic perspectives intact while giving them a shared and recognisable frame.