Photography: Gil Eliyahu Benyamin, Haaretz | Local Testimony 2024
About Local Testimony
The Exhibition
Local Testimony, the Annual Exhibition for Press Photography and Documentary, is presented concurrently with World Press Photo, the longest-running and most prestigious international exhibition for press photography. Local Testimony was founded in 2003, and since its inception, it has showcased the finest photographs by active photographers in our region. The photographs are selected by a professional and independent panel of judges, comprising senior and esteemed figures in the worlds of photography, media, and society, alongside the exhibition curators. The exhibition is presented annually at Muza – Eretz Israel Museum, Tel Aviv, and is visited by tens of thousands of people, including guided groups of photography, art, and current affairs enthusiasts, and organized groups of high school students from across the country.
Local Testimony is the only museum exhibition in Israel dedicated to documentary photography. The exhibition is accompanied by an impressive catalog, which includes all the photographs on display.
Dana Wohlfeiler-Lalkin is the founder and driving force behind Local Testimony. A year after first bringing the international exhibition to Israel, she established Local Testimony, and continues to lead this unique and inspiring venture to this day, alongside the exhibition's professional staff.
About the Competition
The Local Testimony exhibition is a meticulously curated product of a competition open to all professional photographers working in the region. However, the exhibition is careful to create an exposure platform for talented new creators alongside established and well-known creators.
As a focal point in the world of photography, Local Testimony attracts hundreds of photographers. Annually, over 10,000 photographs, submitted by more than 300 photographers, compete in the preliminary contest.
The photographs in the competition and exhibition are divided into eight categories, as well as into single photographs and series. Approximately 200 photographs and video works are featured in the annual exhibition, having undergone rigorous screening and in-depth discussion by the exhibition team.
Local Testimony is committed to encouraging creation in the field; therefore, the selected "Photo of the Year" and "Series of the Year" photographers each receive an award for promoting excellence totaling 10,000 NIS.
Since 2020, the 'Shomrim' – Center for Media and Democracy organization has granted two special awards for outstanding works submitted to the Local Testimony competition. The 'Shomrim' organization was established with the goal of strengthening Israeli democracy through media projects. 'Shomrim' seeks to advance in-depth journalistic investigations and emphasizes the visual documentation of these investigations. The cooperation with 'Shomrim' has resulted in two new financial prizes: A 10,000 NIS prize for the photographer of the Video Work of the Year – the "Creation Award." And the "Democracy Award," also 10,000 NIS, will be granted to a series or a single photograph that expresses a fundamental democratic issue at the heart of the public discourse, stemming from the exhibition's categories. Starting in 2025, a grant will be awarded, dedicated to the creation of a new video work in cooperation with the 'Shomrim' system, which will assist with investigation, writing, and production. The new joint work will be presented at the following Local Testimony exhibition.
Our Partners
Photography: Abir Sultan, EPA | Local Testimony 2023
Local Testimony Team
Dana Wohlfeiler-Lalkin
Founder and Head Curator
Ami Steinitz
Curator and Editorial Board Member
Vardi Kahana
Photographer, Curator, and Editorial Board Member
Sandy Teperson
Producer
Anat Kalman
Artistic consultant and board member, young testimony curator
Noa Arman
Graphic Designer
Arik Bernstein
Website and Archive Development
Events and Activities
As the exhibition team, it is important for us to be attentive to the fast-moving and current developments in the field of photography, both locally and globally. Therefore, the exhibition team is careful to hold discussion and brainstorming sessions on the changes taking place in the world of photography. During the exhibition period, the museum spaces adopt a celebratory atmosphere, and alongside Local Testimony, additional photography exhibitions are displayed, and panel discussions, lectures, and curator meetings are held.
Over the years, the exhibition team has hosted leading international photographers who have given lectures, workshops, and master classes, including Gilles Peress, Abbas (z"l), and Alex Webb—photographers from the prestigious Magnum photo agency—John Stanmeyer, a photographer for National Geographic, and more.
The exhibition team also holds commemorative events. The latest of these was an evening in memory of the recognized and respected photographer Micha Kirshner z"l, who was the curator of the Local Testimony 20 exhibition.
Exhibition Curators Since Inception
Moshe Shai | Local Testimony 2003 |
Moshe Shai | Local Testimony 2004 |
Moshe Shai | Local Testimony 2005 |
Yossi Nachmias, Z"L | Local Testimony 2006 |
Ami Steinitz and Yossi Nachmias, Z"L, Co-Curator | Local Testimony 2007 |
Ami Steinitz | Local Testimony 2008 |
Dana Gilerman | Local Testimony 2009 |
Galia Gur Zeev | Local Testimony 2010 |
Galia Gur Zeev | Local Testimony 2011 |
Moran Shoub | Local Testimony 2012 |
Moran Shoub | Local Testimony 2013 |
Vardi Kahana | Local Testimony 2014 |
Vardi Kahana | Local Testimony 2015 |
Micha Kirshner, Z"L | Local Testimony 2016 |
Vardi Kahana | Local Testimony 2017 |
Ami Steinitz | Local Testimony 2018 |
Eldad Rafaeli | Local Testimony 2019 |
Eldad Rafaeli | Local Testimony 2020 |
Eldad Rafaeli | Local Testimony 2021 |
Leah Abir | Local Testimony 2022 |
Anat Saragusti | Local Testimony 2023 |
Anat Saragusti | Local Testimony 2024 |
Ilia Yefimovich | Local Testimony 2025 |
Social Collaborations
One of the cornerstones of Local Testimony’s values is deepening the exhibition’s social orientation. In this framework, the exhibition team maintains continuous collaboration and contact with various non-profit organizations, including "Latet," "Gesher LaNoar BeSikun" (Bridge for At-Risk Youth), and "ASSAF" (Aid Organization for Refugees and Asylum Seekers in Israel). Following the exhibition period, a special photo sale is held, with proceeds dedicated to supporting the organizations' activities and the participating photographers.
Another project that highlighted the social significance of Local Testimony and was conducted in collaboration with the Peres Center for Peace is Frames of Reality. Through this project, Palestinian and Israeli photographers and filmmakers met for a brainstorming workshop focused on the photographic narrative and providing a toolkit for its refinement. The workshop included 12 seminars with leading lecturers from various related fields, as well as master classes and portfolio reviews. The conclusion of the workshop saw the production of an exhibition and a book, showcasing the photographic projects created by the participants.
Additional Exhibitions
Since 2012 and every two years, the Local Testimony system, in collaboration with Muza, has held the Image of Nature exhibition. The exhibition showcases the finest local nature and environmental photography, alongside the international exhibition Wildlife Photographer of the Year. The exhibition is presented during the summer months and attracts a large audience of families and nature photography enthusiasts.
The Local Testimony team maintains collaborations with various governmental bodies and organizations, most notably:
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, with which it initiated the exhibition Stories of Israel, which presented a mosaic of local existence and society. The exhibition was displayed in select locations around the world. The Israel Nature and Parks Authority, with which it initiated the exhibition The Natural Side of Israel, which presented Israeli nature photographs at the UN building in New York.