Online Open Calls for Artists
Online open calls, competitions, and submissions for photographers and visual artists. No travel required — apply from anywhere.
Being Human — Artdoc Magazine Open Call · Artdoc Photography Magazine
May 25, 2026 · Free
Documentary photography open call exploring human presence across cultural contexts. Magazine publication and online exhibitions.
The Art of Abandonment · TCG Gallery
May 25, 2026 · $15
Themed exhibition exploring forgotten structures, objects, and places — what they reveal about humanity and time.
reFocus Awards - Black and White Photo Contest
May 25, 2026 · $25–$50
Black and white photography contest with $4,000 in prizes. Trophy, press coverage, artist directory. 19 categories.
Candid — Carlotta Gallery
May 26, 2026 · Free (£20–£35 if accepted)
The art of attention — rooted in presence, patience, and trust in the unfolding moment. Virtual exhibition.
see-zeen Issue 20 Open Call
May 27, 2026 · Free
Independent online magazine curating contemporary emerging photography. Open theme. Free, worldwide.
Masterclasses Program 2026/2027 · PhMuseum
May 28, 2026 · Paid
Online masterclasses by Aaron Schuman, Charlie Engman, Erik Kessels, Salvatore Vitale, and Vasantha Yoganathan.
Create! Magazine Issue #58 — In Full Color
May 30, 2026 · $35 / 3 images
Fall 2026 'In Full Color' issue. 4-page print + digital spread. Juried by Liz Lidgett. Open worldwide, no AI.
Outdoor Photography Magazine — Local Landscapes
May 31, 2026 · Free
Submit local landscape images for Outdoor Photography Magazine (UK). Winner receives Sunski sunglasses.
Life Framer — Portraits
May 31, 2026 · $20–$100
Monthly competition judged by Robin Hammond. Winners exhibited in New York, Tokyo, Milan, and Arles.
The Hand Magazine - Issue #53 Summer 2026
May 31, 2026 · $15–$30
International publication for photographic printmaking and hand-printed work. No theme. Must be a subscriber.
Natural Landscape Photography Awards 2026
May 31, 2026 · $17–$113
Celebrating realistic landscape photography. No AI or compositing. RAW file checks for finalists.
SHOTS Magazine #172 — The Human Figure
June 1, 2026 · Free for subscribers / $25
B&W photography quarterly since 1986. Issue #172 themed The Human Figure. Up to 8 grayscale images. Free for subscribers.
Flanelle Print No. 47 — July 2026
June 1, 2026 · Free
Montreal fashion and arts magazine. Quarterly print and digital with international distribution. Est. 2012.
Lenscratch Student Prize 2026
June 1, 2026 · Free
Annual prize for student photographers. $2,000 first prize plus mentorship with Aline Smithson.
Working Assumptions Project Grants 2026 · Working Assumptions
June 1, 2026 · Free
Six $10,000 grants for photography projects exploring family. Unrestricted funding for journalistic, artistic, or educational work.
Mangrove Photography Awards 2026 · Mangrove Action Project
June 1, 2026 · Free
Free conservation photography awards — 6 categories. $1,000 Photographer of the Year + category prizes. Young photographer award.
AAP Magazine #58 Black & White · All About Photo
June 2, 2026 · $30–$35
B&W themed issue of AAP Magazine. $1,000 cash + publication. Up to 40 images, min 3 as a cohesive series.
PORTAL · Decagon Gallery
June 3, 2026 · $25/8 images
Transition & becoming — figures, spaces, suspended moments. Juried by Douglas Stockdale (PhotoBook Journal founder).
Portal: At the Edge of Becoming · Decagon Gallery
June 3, 2026 · $25
Online photography exhibition on tension and threshold. Juror Douglas Stockdale. $1,000 total + solo webpage.
BWP x Nikon Grant Fund 2026 — Quarter 2 · Black Women Photographers
June 5, 2026 · Free
Quarterly grant for Black women photographers worldwide. $2,500 cash + Nikon Z6III kit. Q2 2026 cycle.
JUST ADD WATER · Art Fluent
June 5, 2026 · $25
Exploring water — oceans, rain, rivers, puddles. Online exhibition. Boston, MA.
2026 Booooooom Art & Photo Book Award
June 5, 2026 · Free (zines) / $25 (books)
8 projects (6 books, 2 zines) fully published for free. Books 100 copies, zines 25 copies. Free zine entry.
Guest Room: Annet Dekker & Margriet Schavemaker · Der Greif
June 6, 2026 · PWYC
Theme: "The Brilliance of the Mundane" — everyday, accidental, and overlooked imagery as digital folklore.
Summer — Carlotta Gallery
June 10, 2026 · Free (£20–£35 if accepted)
Summer experienced differently across the world — intensity, brightness, stillness. Virtual exhibition.
FLORA — Shutter Hub Editions Publication
June 11, 2026 · £15+
Printed photobook celebrating plant life and natural growth. Pay-what-you-can entry, £15 minimum.
Lenscratch Fatherhood Exhibition
June 13, 2026 · Free
Online exhibition exploring fatherhood as an evolving role shaped by culture, responsibility, and tenderness.
Queer Quintessential 2026 · Der Greif
June 15, 2026 · PWYC
Pride Month open call for LGBTQIA+ lens-based artists. Online exhibition + Face-to-Face critique. PWYC; deadline 15 June 2026.
PN Awards 2026 — Book Prize & Project Grant · Photography Network
June 15, 2026 · Free
Book prize for innovation in photography scholarship. Project grant for emerging scholars and curators.
Fotografiska Emerging Portfolio Review 2026
June 15, 2026 · Free
Free one-on-one online portfolio review with two senior Fotografiska curators. Apply by June 15; review day July 3, 2026.
photoED Magazine — Home VS Away (Issue #77)
June 15, 2026 · $20 CAD
Fine art projects investigating home, being away, or the tension between. Published in print edition.
Black and White Photo Awards 2026
June 15, 2026 · €15 per category
International B&W competition — 6 categories incl. Architecture, Street, Landscape. €1,500 absolute winner + €200 per category.
Color 2026 · Grid Photo Gallery
June 15, 2026 · €7
Grid Photo Gallery's call exploring color as structure, signal, or atmosphere. Online exhibition. €7 per image, unlimited submissions.
UNSTAGED Journal — Materiality
June 15, 2026 · Free
Free indie photography journal on authenticity. Theme: Materiality. Guest curated by Francisco Gonzalez Camacho. Print publication.
Fotografiska Emerging Portfolio Review 2026
June 15, 2026 · Free
Free 20-min 1:1 portfolio review with a Fotografiska exhibition director. Sessions July 3, 2026, online in English. Open globally.
Evolution Grant · Art Fluent
June 19, 2026 · $35
Unrestricted $1,000 grant per cycle for individual artists with recognized artistic excellence.
Lenscratch Fault Lines: America Exhibition
June 19, 2026 · Free
Online exhibition examining tensions and transformations across America. Timed for July 4th.
FiiLTHY GLO Issue 5 — SONDER
June 20, 2026 · Free
Indie zine for the strange and unusual. Issue 5 theme: SONDER. Photography accepted. Free, worldwide.
THAT ONE PHOTOGRAPH · Decagon Gallery
June 20, 2026 · $15
Single-image call on memory, intimacy, longing. $1,000 awards. Online exhibition + catalog from Decagon Gallery.
Denis Roussel Award 2026 · Rfotofolio
June 27, 2026 · Free (donation optional)
For historical and alternative photographic processes including silver gelatin. $2,000 main award.
Women Photograph + Leica Project Grants 2026
June 30, 2026 · Free
Three $10,000 grants from Women Photograph + Leica for women, nonbinary, trans, intersex documentary photographers. Free, international.
International Photography Awards 2026
June 30, 2026 · $20–$40
One of the most prestigious annual competitions. 23rd edition. $60,000 prize pool across eleven categories.
Photobook Feature — In Focus · Der Greif
June 30, 2026 · PWYC
Photobooks featured in Der Greif's Articles section with editorial write-up. Self-published and small-edition welcome.
Nikon Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2026
June 30, 2026 · Free
Celebrating the funniest moments in wildlife photography. Free entry. Grand prize: Kenya safari for two.
Life Framer — Street Life
June 30, 2026 · $20–$100
Monthly competition judged by Shana Lopes (SFMOMA). Winners exhibited in New York, Tokyo, Milan, and Arles.
Alpine Fellowship Visual Art Prize 2026
July 1, 2026 · £10
Annual prize on the theme of JOY. All visual art media including photography. No AI.
Stanley Greene Foundation Emerging Photographers Grant 2026–2027
July 1, 2026 · Free
$10,000 grant for emerging visual storytellers, with emphasis on underserved and diverse communities. Honors Stanley Greene's legacy.
Apparently in America — Artist Award 2026
July 4, 2026 · $10
Photography award on American identity. $500 prize. Fee waivers available. Founded by curator Francesca Hummler.
Seen / Unseen · Decagon Gallery
July 8, 2026 · $25
Online photography exhibition on the visible and the implied. Juror Ann M. Jastrab. $1,000 total awards.
F-Stop Magazine Issue #138 — Documentary 2026
July 10, 2026 · Free
Documentary photography issue. Longer-term focus than photojournalism. Up to 12 images with project statement.
Home · Photography 4 Humanity
July 12, 2026 · Free
Exploring home — safety, belonging, dignity. Selected works exhibited at the United Nations HQ in New York.
Epson International Pano Awards 2026
July 13, 2026 · $20–$22
World's largest panoramic photography competition. $50K+ prizes incl. $15K cash. New Aerial category. Open, Amateur, VR/360.
Monochromatic Awards 2026 · Dodho Magazine
July 15, 2026 · €30 (3) / €45 (6) / €60 (12)
5th edition. All interpretations of monochromatic photography. Finalists in a 30×30 cm annual printed book.
The Colour Library: Yellow — Shutter Hub Editions Publication
July 16, 2026 · £15+
Photobook dedicated to the colour yellow, from bold monochromes to subtle glows. Held in British Library and V&A collections.
Beautiful Bizarre Art Prize — MPB Photography Award 2026
July 17, 2026 · $40
Representational photography. $3,000 first prize + exhibition at Modern Eden Gallery, San Francisco. No AI.
HER.SELF · Art Fluent
July 17, 2026 · $25
Celebrating women in all complexities — presence, resilience, beauty, becoming. 100% commission-free sales.
Manipulation & Illusion · Co-Ex Collaborative
July 19, 2026 · Free
Explore perception, belief, identity, and power through illusion and manipulation. All disciplines. Free, open worldwide.
The Illume Awards 2026
July 31, 2026 · Free
Adventure and action sports photography awards (formerly Red Bull Illume). Free entry, 16 categories, Leica prizes, photobook, exhibition tour.
Life Framer — Planet Earth
July 31, 2026 · $20–$100
Monthly competition judged by Myrtille Delamarche (GEO Magazine). Winners exhibited in New York, Tokyo, Milan, and Arles.
Men Asleep — 2026 Book & Exhibition Open Call · Memory Version
August 1, 2026 · Free
Book and exhibition expansion of Jordanna Kalman's 2025 'Men Asleep' zine. One photograph of a man sleeping. Free, open to all.
PURE ABSTRACTION · Art Fluent
August 28, 2026 · $25
Online juried exhibit for pure abstraction across all mediums including photography. 100% commission-free sales. $1,250 in prizes.
FeelsZine Issue 27 — Belonging
August 30, 2026 · Free
Canadian creative zine's 10th anniversary issue. Theme: belonging. Accepts photography, illustration, collage, and more.
photoED Magazine — Real VS Imagined
September 9, 2026 · $20 CAD
Fine art projects engaging with what is real versus imagined. Published in print and digital editions.
PhotoVogue Global Open Call 2026 — Brave New Visions
September 11, 2026 · Free
PhotoVogue's 2026 global open call. $12,000 in three grants, festival exhibition, Vogue publication. Free; deadline 11 September 2026.
Lucie Foundation Photo Book Prize 2026
September 15, 2026 · $50–$75
Celebrating innovative photographic books. Three categories. $3,000 Book of the Year. Open worldwide.
Atlas of Ruins Vol.3 — Call for Photos · Reuse Italy
October 1, 2026 · €13–€30
Photographs of architectural ruins from anywhere in the world for a printed book. Two registration tiers, prizes up to €1,200.
World Cyanotype Day · AlternativePhotography.com
October 2, 2026 · Free
Annual international celebration of the cyanotype process. Submit your cyanotype work to be featured.
Fine Art Photography Awards 2026/2027
October 11, 2026 · $19–34
13th edition — 20 categories from landscape to street. $3K professional / $2K amateur grand prizes. 15 international jurors.
Exibart Street Photography Contest — 5th Edition
October 15, 2026 · €10–€49
International street contest by Italy's leading art magazine. Leica Q3 grand prize. Five categories.
Chromatic Photography Awards 2026
October 25, 2026 · $17–$27
International color competition across 20 categories. Separate Professional and Amateur divisions.
World Anthotype Day · AlternativePhotography.com
October 31, 2026 · Free
Annual celebration of plant-based photographic printing processes. Entries open August through October.
Monochrome Awards 2026
November 15, 2026 · $17–$27
International B&W competition with 14 categories. Professional and amateur divisions. Annual book.
Annual Photography Awards 2026
December 13, 2026 · $25–$40
8th edition. Five main categories, 25 subcategories. Looking for bold and innovative approaches.
Fotografiska Emerging Artist Platform
Continuous · Free
Multiple open calls for emerging photographers. Exhibitions at Fotografiska museums and the UN Headquarters.
Innovate Grants - Quarterly Grants
Continuous · $35
Quarterly grants: 2 x $1,800 (one photographer, one artist). 18 honorable mentions per cycle.
Analog Forever Magazine — Calls for Entry
Continuous · Free
High-quality print magazine for film and analog photography. Also runs themed online group exhibitions.
Open Doors Takeovers
Continuous · £17
Discovery account featuring artist takeovers. Connected to UNSEEN art fair and Approche.
Tomorrow's Talent - Open Submissions · Booooooom
Continuous · Free
Global platform featuring emerging artists. Potential feature and inclusion in book series.
Zone Magazine — Open Submissions
Continuous · Free
International photography zine. No genre restrictions. Open to all ages worldwide. Year-round submissions.
Burn Magazine — Open Submissions
Continuous · Free
Photography magazine founded by David Alan Harvey (Magnum). Photo essays and multimedia on any subject.
Phases Magazine — Open Submissions
Continuous · Free
International contemporary photography magazine publishing 3 portfolios per issue.
Noice Magazine — Open Submissions
Continuous · $10–$50
Print-to-order magazine with themed issues. Minimalism, social issues, and humor. Limited editions.