Organizer Information
Established in 1995, Photoworks is an internationally acclaimed platform, registered charity, and a proud member of Arts Council England’s National Portfolio. Based in the United Kingdom, the organization is dedicated to accelerating the global development of contemporary photography through an ambitious structural program of curatorial residencies, physical exhibitions, targeted publications, and the flagship biennial Photoworks Festival. Driven by strategic vision under Director Louise Fedotov-Clements, the platform continuously expands the photographic canon and shortens the psychological distance between lens-based artists, historical institutional networks, and local communities.
Title & Description
The Photography+ Emerging Talent Issue 2026 Open Call.
Photoworks is officially accepting entries for the next edition of its themed digital publication, Photography+—an online magazine that deeply explores how photography and modern visual culture intersect with everyday life, social structures, and contemporary politics. Historically reserved exclusively for recent academic graduates, this year's open call expands its parameters to actively support and celebrate innovative, international creative voices early in their trajectory. Ten selected artists will have their portfolios broadcast to a massive global audience, establishing a critical springboard for emerging visual storytellers.
Categories
Photography / Lens-Based Media.
Eligibility
- Global Reach: Completely open to international and domestic lens-based creators worldwide.
- Career Footprint: Open to recent BA and MA graduates, as well as independent image-based artists operating within the first five (5) years of their professional practice.
- Thematic Focus: Open Theme. Photoworks welcomes a diverse array of conceptual approaches, visual languages, and subject matters.
- Submission Constraints: Artists are strictly limited to submitting one (1) single project. Multiple project entries or separate rolling iterations will fail compliance filters.
- Artwork Trajectory: The entry does not need to be your definitive academic graduation project; applicants are free to submit any recent, cohesive body of original work.
Program Benefits and Awardee Prizes
An international jury of curators, museum directors, and researchers will select exactly ten (10) awardees to receive a high-level professional toolkit:
- Editorial Magazine Feature: Prominent showcase of your project portfolio within the dedicated Photography+ Emerging Talent issue.
- European Festival Exhibition: Inclusion within a special physical evening projection showcase at the prestigious Kranj Foto Fest.
- Photoworks Membership Tier: A selected artist from the cohort will receive a complimentary one-year Photoworks membership coupled with custom, ongoing mentoring from the core curatorial and editorial teams.
- Spectrum Photographic Print Support: In partnership with premier printing lab Spectrum Photographic, a selected artist will secure a £200 printing voucher alongside a curated Instagram takeover on Spectrum’s official social channels to amplify market presence.
Fees
- Application Fee: None (Completely free of charge to register and enter).
Application Requirements
Dossiers must be compiled in English and uploaded directly via the centralized Picter contest module. Shifting cloud directory links (such as Dropbox or Google Drive) or external domain URLs attached in place of direct uploads will not pass review. Submissions require:
- Project Portfolios Matrix: Upload up to 10 to 15 high-quality images originating from a single, cohesive body of work. Ensure the visual sequence demonstrates a clear narrative progression, aesthetic rigor, and conceptual consistency.
- Project Statement: A concise, well-proofed narrative text describing the underlying themes, visual systems, and research questions of the series (Strictly capped at a maximum of 200 words).
- Artist Bio: A brief summary tracking your educational milestones, recent group exhibitions, or practice landmarks.
How to Apply?
Set up a verified creator profile account on the Picter application gateway, upload your sequence of images from a single project, insert your 200-word statement, and lock your submission. Apply to the Photoworks Photography+ Emerging Talent Open Call 2026.
Key Dates:
- Application Submission Deadline: Monday, June 15, 2026, at 11:59 PM (16:00 UTC).
- Jury Evaluation Block: Summer 2026.
Location
Online / Virtual Application Hub managed via Picter, with international presentations at Slovenia (Kranj Foto Fest projection).
Additional Details
The final 2026 cohort selections are handled by a prestigious international jury panel composed of leading curators, writers, and multidisciplinary creators. The 2026 board features Mariama Attah (Director of Metal Culture Liverpool, specializing in overlooked visual histories), Louise Fedotov-Clements (Director of Photoworks), Jermaine Francis (Multi-disciplinary artist investigating archival memory parameters), Katy Hundertmark (Managing Editor of Foam Magazine and curator at Foam Museum), and Amin Yousefi (London-based visual researcher and Assistant Curator/Editor for Photoworks). Due to the massive volume of global entries received by the charity, individual critique feedback loops cannot be provided for unselected profiles. For technical dashboard problems or profile validation errors, communicate directly with the Picter help portal.