LONDON.- Jim Goldberg (b.1953, USA) has won the Deutsche Börse Photography Prize 2011, which marks the 15th year of the Prize and the 40th anniversary of The Photographers’ Gallery. The prize was announced on Tuesday 26 April 2011 when the broadcaster and critic Miranda Sawyer presented the £30,000 award at a special ceremony. The Deutsche Börse Photography Prize 2011 is organised by The Photographers’ Gallery. This year, while the Gallery undergoes extensive redevelopment works to transform its gallery space, which will reopen later this year, the Prize is displayed at Ambika P3, University of Westminster until 1 May 2011.

The Prize is awarded to a photographer of any nationality for their significant contribution to the medium of photography through either an exhibition or publication, in Europe, between 1 October 2009 and 30 September 2010. Jim Goldberg was awarded the Prize for his exhibition Open See at The Photographers’ Gallery, London (16 October 2009 – 31 January 2010).

Initiated through a Magnum commission, Open See documents the experiences of refugee, immigrant and trafficked populations who travel from war torn, socially and economically devastated countries, such as Iraq, Bangladesh, China, The Balkans and Congo, to make new lives in Europe. Fusing Polaroids, video, written text, ephemera and large and medium format photographs, Goldberg reflects on issues of migration and the conditions for desiring escape.

Jim Goldberg was chosen by the 2011 Jury members - Alex Farquharson (Director, Nottingham Contemporary); Marloes Krijnen (Founding Director, Foam_Fotografiemuseum Amsterdam); Joel Sternfeld (artist, USA); and Anne-Marie Beckmann (Curator, Art Collection Deutsche Börse, Germany). Brett Rogers, Director of The Photographers’ Gallery is the non-voting Chair.

The three other shortlisted artists for the Deutsche Börse Photography Prize 2011, who were each awarded £3,000, are: Thomas Demand (b.1964, Germany), Roe Ethridge (b.1969, USA), and Elad Lassry (b.1977, Israel). This year’s selection illustrates the diversity of the photographic medium, from conceptual to social documentary photography.

Brett Rogers said, on behalf of the Jury: ‘Due to the breadth of the Award criteria, the Jury felt that any one of the four nominees could have been the winner. They however awarded the Prize to Jim Goldberg for Open See, acclaiming its timely and inventive approach to documentary practice, at the heart of which lies for him co-authorship, a form of creative collaboration allowing these individuals to tell their own stories.’

Julia Taeschner, Head of Corporate Responsibility for Deutsche Börse, stated: ‘The Deutsche Börse Photography Prize has once again succeeded in bringing together the most important and interesting representatives of the European photographic scene. We are exceptionally pleased to announce Jim Goldberg as this year’s winner of this prestigious prize. Our congratulations and thanks to all those who have contributed – The Photographers’ Gallery staff, the Academy, the Jury and the artists – for their engagement and contribution.’

The Deutsche Börse Photography Prize 2011 will tour to C/O Berlin (12 May – 21 June 2011) followed by Deutsche Börse Group’s Frankfurt headquarters in Summer 2011. The Photographers’ Gallery has collaborated with Deutsche Börse Group as Prize sponsors since 2005. Deutsche Börse Group is one of the world’s largest exchange organisations and a major sponsor of photographic art.