Charta Award 2026

Charta is a biennial photobook festival based in Lugano, Switzerland, run by independent publisher Yogurt Editions in collaboration with Artphilein, a Lugano contemporary photography organisation. The Charta Award is the festival's annual scouting prize for unpublished photographic projects ready for book form.

The brief is open in subject but strict in originality: projects must never have appeared in printed book or fanzine format. Self-published works are accepted only if fewer than 15 copies exist without ISBN registration. The award is open to international artists incorporating photography in their practice, with no age restriction.

The winning project is produced by Yogurt Editions in a run of 500 copies. The selected artist receives 30 free copies and 10% royalties on sold copies, reported every six months. Beyond the publication prize, Artphilein selects one of the shortlisted artists to present a solo exhibition in its Lugano space between April and May 2027.

Submission requires at least 30 images from a single coherent project, a PDF with project title, artist name, email and synopsis, a signed publishing contract, and the payment receipt. An additional edited PDF showing the work as a sequence is welcome but optional. Early-bird entry is €15 until April 30, 2026; regular entry is €25 thereafter. The deadline is July 25, 2026 at 6:00 PM CET.