The Kraszna-Krausz Foundation

History of the Foundation

Andor Kraszna-Krausz 1904-1989 Andor Kraszna-Krausz (KK to his friends) was born in Hungary in 1904. After studying photography and cinematography at Munich University he began his publishing career in Germany in 1925 as the editor of Filmtechnik magazine. In 1937 he came to Britain as a refugee and a year later founded Focal Press, an influential specialist publishing house for books on photography. Focal Press publications were an immediate success, gaining a reputation for clear yet authoritative text and illustrations. During KK's lifetime Focal Press published 1,200 books. It is now the world's leading publisher of books about photography, film and television. The awards were established in 1985 by Andor Kraszna-Krausz.  Following his death, in 1989, Kraszna-Krausz’s estate became the Foundation which now bears his name.  The Kraszna-Krausz Foundation Book Awards have previously been known as the Kraszna-Krausz Awards and the And/Or Book Awards. In addition to the awards, the Kraszna-Krausz Foundation also provides year-round grants for the advancement of photography and the moving image in the UK. Each year, all eligible submissions to the awards join the Kraszna-Krausz collection of photography and moving image books in the library of the National Media Museum in Bradford. Back to top