PhEST Pop-Up Open Call 2026 — What If?

PhEST is the international photography and contemporary art festival held annually in Monopoli, on the Adriatic coast of Puglia, Italy — the festival's name plays on the Italian "per est" (toward the East). The Pop-Up Open Call is the festival's open competition, with the 2026 cycle the 6th edition. The festival itself runs August 7 through November 1, 2026.

The 2026 theme is "What If?" — exploring relationships with the present and imagining possible futures through visual work. Submissions are accepted in two categories: SERIES (10–20 fixed images: photography, illustrations, painting, sculpture documentation) and SINGLES (video, animation, and short films).

Six awards are given. Two are exhibition slots at PhEST 2026 — one for the best international project, one reserved for an artist based in Puglia. The UniBa Award provides exhibition for the best international short film. The fourth award is a Fujifilm X-T5 mirrorless camera with 16-80mm lens (€2,550 value, provided by Fujifilm Italia). The remaining two awards are platform features: publication on PhMuseum (with a free Annual copy) and on LensCulture.

Selection is by Laura Sackett (LensCulture Editorial Director), Giuseppe Oliverio (PhMuseum Founding Director), Arianna Rinaldo (curator and photo editor), and Giovanni Troilo (PhEST Artistic Director).

Submission is free of charge through LensCulture (a free LensCulture account is required). Each submission requires a 200-word English description, short bio, and JPGs at 2000 pixels. Eligibility is open to all artists with copyright in their submitted work. The 2026 deadline is May 13 at 11:59 PM CET; results announced end of June.