100 Book Award 2026

Kult Books is an independent publishing project based in Stockholm, founded and run by Finnish-Swedish visual artist, publisher, and book designer Janne Riikonen. The catalogue focuses on conceptual and documentary photography, with monographs and artists' books produced in close collaboration with each artist — the physical form of each book designed to carry the concept of the work. Lenscratch featured Kult Books in its Publishers Spotlight in 2023; the press has since opened a bookshop at its Stockholm studio and aims to publish six to eight titles a year.

The 100 Book Award is the press's recurring open call for new projects to enter the catalogue. One or two selected works are published as a limited edition of 100 copies, with full design by Janne Riikonen, an ISBN, and catalogue inclusion. Selected books are distributed at international book fairs, in bookshops, and through online retailers — meaning the prize is full publication rather than a contest-style award. There are no submission, design, or printing costs for the artist.

The selected artist(s) receive three complimentary copies of the printed book plus the option to purchase up to twenty additional copies at a 60% discount for personal sale. In exchange, artists are expected to attend design meetings, deliver print-ready retouched photographs, and provide written work descriptions and any relevant accompanying texts.

The call is open worldwide to artists working primarily with photography. All photographic styles are welcome, and complementary media such as drawing and writing may be incorporated as long as photography remains the dominant medium. AI-generated work is explicitly not accepted.

Submissions are sent by email to hello@kultbooks.com with the subject line 'open call', containing either a download link to 80–300 low-resolution JPGs or a dummy/PDF, alongside a written work description and any supporting texts. Deadline: June 14, 2026. Results announced June 26, 2026. Publication scheduled for Spring 2027.