Lenscratch Fault Lines: America Exhibition

Lenscratch is one of the longest-running photography blogs and online platforms, edited by photographer Aline Smithson, with a regular schedule of online exhibitions accompanying its daily editorial coverage. "Fault Lines: America" is the platform's open call for photography examining tensions, fractures, and transformations across the United States — resistance, social change, protest, activism, justice, identity, power, and freedom.

The 2026 cycle is timed for the Fourth of July, with the online exhibition publishing on July 4. The call invites work that engages with civic engagement and the challenges facing democratic institutions. Selection is by Norm Diamond and Marcy Palmer; Diamond's stated framing for the call is direct: "What occupies my thoughts is the state of our country and its descent into fascism. This is the most important story of the 21st century."

Submissions are free, with one entry per photographer. Images are sized to 72dpi at 1000 pixels on the long side and submitted via Google Form. Caption format follows Lenscratch's standard: copyright, name, image title, Instagram handle, and website.

Selected work appears in the online group exhibition on Lenscratch — the platform itself functions as the prize, given Lenscratch's substantial readership in the photography community. The 2026 deadline is June 19; exhibition publishes July 4.