There was a bustle of activity at the RheinMain University of Applied Sciences already early in the morning: nineteen students from the RheinMain University of Applied Sciences, the Technical University of Central Hesse, and Offenbach University of Art and Design presented their artistic and conceptual projects to an eleven-member panel as part of the hFMA Competition 2025. The jury members came from a variety of fields: film, media, visual arts, sociology, literature, and educational practice. At the heart of all the contributions was a complex topic of great social relevance: violence in the context of pornography.
The students' approaches were diverse: some focused on cultural, social, and educational policy aspects, such as the fact that children and young people today not only come into contact with pornographic content at an early age, but are also confronted with phenomena such as grooming, in which adults try to manipulate them into revealing intimate images. Others examined technical strategies for circumventing consent, for example in public restrooms, or dealt with physical violence, including femicide, as it can occur in the porn industry. Still other contributions critically examined the effects of standardized body ideals and their reproduction in the media on self-esteem, mental health, and the experience of powerlessness.
Some students approached the topic with clear seriousness, others with ironic or performative strategies. The focus was not only on criticism, but also on the desire to create a productive approach to the topic through alternative narratives, humorous bridges, and visual interventions. In all projects, it was clear that this is a generation that is aware of its social responsibility and is looking for new ways to make complex issues visible and negotiable.
First, second, and two third prizes were awarded, as well as a special prize from the hFMA for a project that stood out in particular for its visualization of queer perspectives. A total of around €4,000 in prize money was awarded. All award-winning projects, as well as a selection of other submissions, will be presented to the public in November 2025 as part of an exhibition, for which a production budget of around €40,000 is available.
We look forward to making the perspectives and creative approaches developed visible on a larger scale soon. We would like to express our sincere thanks to all participants in the competition for their continuous commitment over several weeks, for their openness, their courage, and their intensive engagement with a complex topic. We would also like to thank the members of the jury for their dedicated participation and their differentiated feedback during an intensive day.
