Manipulation & Illusion

Manipulation & Illusion is an open call from Co-Ex Collaborative for work that engages with the terrain between what is seen and what is constructed. The brief is unusually expansive: applicants can address optical, sensory, and spatial illusion; distortion, misdirection, and scale; unreliable memory; propaganda and political persuasion; digital manipulation and curated environments; institutional narratives and manufactured truth; manipulation as artistic method; or altered materials, images, and data.

The call is interdisciplinary — photography, visual art, design, and fine craft are all eligible. Submissions go through the Co-Ex Collaborative website portal, with one image per applicant. There is no entry fee.

Selected work is featured in a curated online collection on Co-Ex's site. Specific prize structure, jury composition, and historical context aren't published on the call page; the platform appears to operate as a curated online publication rather than a competition with cash awards. The deadline is July 19, 2026.