A Celebration of Contemporary Photography

A Celebration of Contemporary Photography is PhotoPlace Gallery's annual broad-brief juried exhibition, programmed around World Photography Day (August 19). PhotoPlace Gallery is a photography gallery in Middlebury, Vermont, that runs themed calls on a rolling schedule alongside its own programming.

The brief is intentionally inclusive — any subject, any style, any photographic process. The gallery explicitly welcomes traditional landscape and portraiture alongside experimental and alternative-process work, framing the show as a panorama of contemporary photographic practice rather than a thematic exhibition.

Selection is by two jurors: Paula Tognarelli, retired Executive Director of the Griffin Museum of Photography, and Zach Hoffman, owner and director of PhotoPlace Gallery. They select up to 35 images for the physical exhibition in Middlebury and 40 additional images for an online companion exhibition. All 75 selected works are reproduced in a printed catalog and remain permanently accessible on the gallery's website.

Awards include a $300 Juror's Award, a $200 Director's Award, and three $50 Honorable Mentions. Fully AI-generated images are not eligible; AI-assisted editing tools applied to camera-originated work are acceptable. The fee is $39 for 5 images, $6 each additional. The deadline is June 8, 2026; the physical exhibition runs August 7–29, 2026, with prints due July 24.