Stories: Narrative Photography

PH21 Gallery is a curatorial gallery operating from Barcelona's Gothic Quarter (the gallery relocated from Budapest more than a decade after its founding). "Stories: Narrative Photography" is the gallery's themed call inviting work that tells stories — about persons, communities, objects, and places — through personal, social, literal, or abstract visual interpretation.

All creative photographic approaches are welcome. The brief favors images that carry implication beyond their immediate subject, whether through sequencing, captioning, single-frame implication, or multi-image series.

The 2026 exhibition runs July 25 through August 18, 2026 at PH21's Barcelona gallery in the Gothic Quarter. The Curator's Choice winner receives three free entries for future PH21 themed group exhibition calls (up to 15 images per entry); up to three honorable mentions are also recognized.

Selection is by curators Zsolt Bátori (PhD Rutgers, founder and director of PH21 Gallery, Photolucida board member) and Borbála Jász (art historian, Photolucida juror). Acceptance is competitive — curators have final selection authority.

Entry fees are tiered. Standard rates run €25–€45 for 3 to 15 photos at early-bird (closing May 18, 2026), rising to €30–€50 at final deadline (May 25, 2026). Discounted rates of €15 (early bird) or €20 (final) are available for students, unwaged persons, and applicants from low-income economies. Submissions are made by email as JPEGs at maximum 1280 pixels on the longest side. Eligibility is open globally to photographers 18 and over.