See our selection of top nine open calls you should pay attention to along with some details, including competition criteria, basic terms and condition and – most importantly – submission fee.
Intermission
Are you fed up with exorbitant submission fees and the prospect of your works being buried under the visual ravine of photography festivals? Perhaps you still have your doubts about relinquishing control over printing or arrangement of the pieces in a given venue. Intermission invites visual artists, including photographers, to engage freely with the interiors of the Reinickendorf Town Hall in Berlin. The title of the exhibition is Function/Anomy. Additionally, in the course of the exhibition the jury will select a photographer who will take part in an art residency in Paduli (IT) in the upcoming summer.
Submission fee: free of charge (but the artists are obliged to deliver and install their own works)
Deadline: 22 January 2019
Apply online: https://www.intermissioncollective.com/call
Tokyo International Photography Competition
Do you seek out new contexts for the presentation of your artworks? Does your piece encapsulate the theme of the festival “Need/Want”? Then, you should consider applying for Tokyo International Photography Competition.
Submission fee: $40.00
Deadline: 22 February 2019
Apply online: https://www.tokyofotoawards.jp/
Aperture Portfolio Prize
An ideal option for young emerging photographers who intend to make a strong debut on the art scene, Aperture Portfolio Prize identifies trends in contemporary photography and highlights the artists whose work deserves greater recognition. While choosing the first prize winner and runners up, Aperture’s editorial and curatorial staff look for innovative bodies of work that haven’t been widely seen in major publications or exhibition venues. The application process is free-of-charge, but here’s the catch: according to the terms and conditions, “entrants must be Aperture Magazine print subscribers.” For more information on the subscription options, visit:
https://www.ezsubscription.com/ape/subscribe?key=4PPZyr
Submission fee: free of charge
Deadline: 24 January 2019
Apply online: https://aperture.org/entry-details/
ZEISS Photography Award
Does your iconoclastic approach to photography astound and astonish the audiences? What are you waiting for? Go ahead and apply for ZEISS Photography Award. The theme of this years’ edition is “Seeing Beyond – the Unexpected”. For more details on the open call, visit the official site of the organiser: https://www.worldphoto.org/enter/zeiss-photography-award
Submission fee: free of charge
Deadline: 8 February 2019
Apply online: https://www.worldphoto.org/enter/zeiss-photography-award
Malmö Fotobiennal
To see and portray the world, not as it is, but as it could be. How do we shape our inner thoughts? Is Utopia a mirage, an impossible dream, an illusion? What performances do we create?
The concept of a utopia has always mesmerised numerous different artists. Are you one of them? Though at first glance Malmö may strike you as a small town in Sweden, don’t miss out on visiting its teeming artistic and photographic hub.
Submission fee: free of charge
Deadline: 11 February 2019
Apply online: https://malmofotobiennal.com/
Lens Culture Portrait Awards 2019
If your focus is directed towards an investigation of the human nature, then you’ll probably meet the core requirements of Lens Culture Portrait Awards.
Submission fee: depends on the section (visit the website for more details)
Deadline: 20 February 2019
Apply online: https://www.lensculture.com/photo-competitions/portrait-awards-2019#enter
Belfast Photo Festival 2019
A hugely prestigious event attended by such bigshots as Juno Calypso, Liu Susiraja and Weronika Gęsicka. Belfast Photo Festival is held in an extremely high esteem by the international photoworld, but don’t let that intimidate you! You should definitely apply if you feel up to par.
Submission fee: €29.00
Deadline: 9 March 2019
Apply online: http://belfastphotofestival.com/
Der Greif
Open calls for the so called “Guest Room” section of the fairly well-known magazine are announced in regular intervals. Every subsequent curator invites the selected artists to make a “guest appearance” on the exhibit in a customised online space shared on the magazine’s website and social media channels, where they unveil a unique composition based on a single photograph submitted by each artist.
Submission fee: free of charge
Deadline: ongoing
Apply on Picter: https://www.picter.com/
Grand Prix Images Vevey 2019
Second largest photography-related event in the world superseded only by Belfast Photo Festival announced an open call in two separate categories: Grand Prix Images Vevey 2019 and Images Vevey Book Award 2019. The contest is addressed to the professional artists and photographers, as well as those still in training. For more details, go to: https://www.images.ch/en/grand-prix-images-2/presentation/the-grand-prix-images-vevey/
Grand Prix Images Vevey 2019 submission fee: €60.00 and higher
Images Vevey Book Award 2019 submission fee: €35.00 and higher
Deadline: 28 February 2019
Apply on Picter: https://www.images.ch/en/grand-prix-images-2/presentation/the-grand-prix-images-vevey/
