Aline Smithson

Happy Birthday 250th, America! Thanks to all who submitted and thank you to our jurors Norm Diamond and Marcy Palmer for selecting 50 images that speak to this moment in time. Law Hamilton (see above) received the top recognition.

©Angélica Arbulú, Unanswered The Center for Photographic Art and Lenscratch are thrilled to present the 2026 Paula Riff Award to Angélica Arbulú. This award was created in honor of a beloved artist, Paula Riff, who elevated the photographic medium by her investigations into color and alternative processes. Paula was an innovator, using lensless photography and historical processes to create objects of remarkable beauty.

©Marni Meyers, 6 Across 8 Down In early February 2021, we lost a bright light and singular artist, the incomparable Paula Riff. She left behind her daughter, along with an expansive community of friends, artists, and admirers, all grappling with the profound absence of her presence and vision. In 2021, in honor of Paula, Lenscratch and the Center of Photographic Art established The Paula Riff Award as a way to celebrate and extend her enduring legacy.