PORTRAITS — Hellerau Photography Award 2026
PORTRAITS — Hellerau Photography Award is an annual international portrait photography prize organized in association with HELLERAU – European Center for the Arts in Dresden. The 2026 edition is the prize's 11th cycle. The theme is Escapism — portraits made under, around, or about the act of escape, in any direction the photographer reads it.
Total prize fund is €8,000: first prize €5,000, second €2,000, third €1,000. Both series and individual single-image submissions are accepted; up to 20 images per submission. AI-generated work is not accepted.
The 2026 jury is Carena Schlewitt (Artistic Director, HELLERAU), Sim Chi Yin (artist and researcher), Daniel Blochwitz (photographer and curator), Angela Matyssek (Professor, Dresden University of Fine Arts), and Sandra Buschow (photographer and curator).
Submission is through Picter. The fee is tiered €30–€50 depending on submission scale, with a 50% student discount available. Eligibility is open globally. The 2026 deadline was May 3; results announced October 29, 2026.
Jury: Carena Schlewitt, Artistic Director, HELLERAU · Sim Chi Yin, Artist & Researcher · Daniel Blochwitz, Photographer & Curator · Angela Matyssek, Professor, Dresden University of Fine Arts · Sandra Buschow, Photographer & Curator
Organized by PORTRAITS Hellerau