Launched in 2009 as the first festival of its kind in Germany Queer Festival Heidelberg has
evolved into a notable fixture in the queer scene (and well beyond). As a platform for queer
culture celebrating sexual and gender diversity its mix of concerts art shows performances
readings film screenings and panel discussions attracts more than 10 000 visitors from across
Germany and Europe every year. Since 2021 Germany's largest and oldest queer festival has
enjoyed the support of the city of Heidelberg in the context of its membership in the Rainbow
Cities Network. A comprehensive book on the annual photo competition that is held alongside
the festival will be published this year to mark the event's fifteenth anniversary. It includes
an extensive range of pictures and brief portraits representing a selection of the best entries
of recent years. Thanks to the competition's changing focus and international appeal the book
offers a culturally and thematically unusual spectrum of photographic positions and
perspectives that transcend established norms codes and visual imageries.
