Organizer Information
GAZE is an activist cultural project and photographic initiative founded in 2025 and run by the collective team of Nadja Brendel, Sasha Weber, and Han Vogel. Created strictly from within the queer community for the queer community, the project blends a high-profile photo competition, educational formats, and public exhibitions into a unified platform. GAZE uses lens-based media to amplify LGBTQIA+ visibility, preserve historical and contemporary narratives, and serve as an active tool for political self-assertion, resistance, and community empowerment.
Title & Description
GAZE 2026: HOW/TO GATHER – Queer Communities in Photography
Entering its second, expanded edition, the GAZE Queer Photo Award invites entries under the 2026 curatorial framework: HOW/TO GATHER – Queer Communities in Photography. This international open call centers on queer realities, chosen families, care networks, and safe spaces of assembly where marginalized identities can unfold freely outside of heteronormative-patriarchal structures. The project also asks literal questions: How can viewing photographs trigger community-building moments? How can photography strengthen collective resilience when queer spaces are under threat? Selected works will build a counter-archive against mainstream distortions, culminating in major equipment grants and an independent winter group exhibition in Berlin.
Categories
This competition is strictly dedicated to Photography and Lens-based Contemporary Practices. It accepts single standalone images or structured photographic series.
Note: All entries must be original photographic exposures captured by the participant; AI-generated images or complete digital fabrications are strictly prohibited.
Eligibility
- Identity: Open exclusively to photographers, artists, and collaborative teams who identify as part of the LGBTQIA+ community.
- Age Limit: Applicants must be at least 18 years of age at the time of entry.
- Geographic Scope: Expanded for 2026 to welcome all individuals whose primary residence or center of life is located within Germany, the European Union (EU), or the United Kingdom (UK).
- Work Constraints: Artworks must have been captured within the last 5 years. For long-term projects, a minimum of two-thirds ($2/3$) of the submission must fall within this timeframe. Pieces must not have won prior awards or been previously published due to strict copyright limitations.
Program Benefits & Awards
Sponsored exclusively by camera reseller MPB, the 2026 awards track features three distinct category grants:
- National Prize: Restricted to participants living or practicing in Germany; 1st place receives a €1,000 MPB voucher for high-quality used gear.
- International Prize: Open to all residents across the EU and the UK; 1st place receives a €1,000 MPB voucher.
- Audience Award: Voted on directly by the public from a curated shortlist; 1st place receives a €500 MPB voucher.
- Exhibition Platform: The winning entries will be featured in a fully produced, physical group exhibition in Berlin during Winter 2026.
Application Fee
Participation requires a one-time entry fee of €15 per submitted project, paid directly through the online application platform to offset administrative, review, and production expenses.
Application Requirements
Applicants must assemble their digital submission dossier in English or German via the registry dashboard. The required components include:
- User Profile: Full legal name, gender, nationality, date of birth, phone number, address, and an artist biography (maximum 1,500 characters).
- Project Metadata: Explicit project title (noting if it is a single entry or a series), year and location of creation, and a descriptive project caption (maximum 2,000 characters).
- Image Specifications: Submission of 1 to 5 individual photographs, or a single cohesive series of 3 to 5 images sharing a common title. Files must be JPEGs in the sRGB color space, free of watermarks or borders, with a minimum resolution of 3000 pixels on the longest side.
- Legal Consents: Confirmed model releases and explicit privacy consent from any recognizable individuals appearing within the frames.
How to Apply
All portfolios, image files, and entry fees must be securely uploaded through the centralized Picter portal. Email attachments, loose file transfers, or physical drops are not accepted.
- Application Link: GAZE 2026 Picter Submission Portal
Key Dates
- Application Entry Opens: June 15, 2026
- Application Submission Deadline: August 31, 2026, at 11:59 PM CET
- Winner Notification Window: September 2026 (via direct phone call or email check)
- Physical Berlin Exhibition: Winter 2026 (Specific opening dates to be announced)
Location
The curation, registration, and audience voting take place completely Online, while the final physical awards presentation and winter group showcase take place live in Germany at:
- GAZE Exhibition Space, Berlin, Germany
Additional Details
By participating, artists retain full copyright over their work while granting GAZE a non-exclusive, non-commercial, unlimited license to utilize the entries for institutional promotion, catalogs, and exhibition screening events. Photographers will always be explicitly credited by name. Please ensure your name or copyright details are embedded directly into the image file metadata before final submission.