All Submitting photographers will benefit from:

• Submission review by Photo Industry Professionals

• Opportunities for Immediate Exposure (e.g. across festival / partner social networks and websites)

Between 20 and 40 photographers / artists will benefit from:

• awards and cash prizes (See Awards listed below)

• having their work produced for exhibition in the Festivals main city centre gallery

• exhibition exposure at the Festival's main city centre gallery

• inclusion in the special Festival issue of Abridged Magazine

• longer term Festival representation and promotion

• exhibition alongside some of the biggest photographic names as part of the major photographic event

• publication and inclusion in the Festival programme

• inclusion in the Festivals marketing & PR campaign, which has an estimated reach of 30+ million people

• international press exposure

• being seen by over 30,000 people, including a substantial number of visual arts professionals and the media

• dedicated feature on the Festival website and online gallery

• opportunities offered for exhibition and publication through festival partners

• £20 reduction off the 2021 Belfast Photo Festival International Portfolio Review fee

Applicants will have their work viewed by an international panel of influential experts in the field of photography, plus have the opportunity to win awards and a significant cash prize.

Spotlight Award - £2,000 (est $2,674 / €2,208)

One Years Free RPS Membership - Free membership for one year to the prestigious Royal Photographic Society

GUP Editorial Award - Full editorial presentation in an upcoming printed/digital issue of GUP photography magazine

Abridged Editorial Award - Presentation in a special Festival issue of Abridged Magazine

All winners will have their work produced by the Festival for exhibition in the main Festival gallery.

Competition Description

Having helped to launch so many photographers careers, the Open Submission of the international Belfast Photo Festival is back with more opportunities than ever before.

Being described as "One of the best photography festivals in the world," (Capture Magazine) the biennial Belfast Photo Festival provides a perfect platform for gaining exposure to an international audience, with previous editions having welcomed over 100,000 visitors from all over the world.

Belfast Photo Festival is offering artist's/photographers the opportunity to exhibit their work in the main Festival gallery alongside some of the biggest names in the field, and have their work taken on tour to be exhibited at the 2022 Photo Schweiz (Zurich, Switzerland), with a number also having the opportunity to be featured in the arts magazine Abridged. The winners will be eligible for a number of awards, including a cash prize of £2,000 (est $2,674 / €2,208).

The theme has been left open to remove any restrictions; submissions must be photographic or lens-based but can include incorporations of other art forms with the photographic medium (i.e. performance, painting, sculpture, music, literature etc).

Individuals and collectives are welcome to apply; individuals should select and enter between 1-10 photographs from a particular project/series or body of work AND/OR submit their Photo-book for exhibition by uploading a single PDF (no image limit)

(NOTE: You can submit both a photo-book and photographs of the same project, but an individual fee will need to be paid for both. If submitting only a Photo-book and not photographs, it will be your photo-book that will be selected for presentation and not photographic prints for exhibition)

Collectives are also welcome to apply; as a collective, you can submit up to 15 photographs (a €29 submission fee will apply for every 15 images submitted)

By submitting you accept the following terms and conditions:

• You agree to supply high resolution files of your submitted photographic work for printed production and exhibition outdoors by the Festival at no cost to you (the photographer).

• Supply dummy books / photo-books for exhibition professionally printed (Photo-books: Bound) ready for display.

• If required, insure the requested book dummy / photo-books are suitably packaged and reach the Belfast Photo Festival by 24th May 2021, ready for display.

• Insurance of all book dummies / photo-books supplied to the Festival remain the sole responsibility of the submitting photographer.

• You agree to your selected photographs / photo-books being taken on tour.

You agree to being included within relevant promotional material for the Festival.

• The returning of supplied book dummies / photo-books to the owner after exhibition is the sole responsibility of the photographer, however the Festival will facilitate the return of work.

• Winners will be announced on the Belfast Photo Festival and Picter websites and contacted by e-mail.

• The decision of the Jury will be final.

Core Keller
Curator of Photography (SFMoMA, San Francisco, U.S.A.)

Corey Keller is associate curator of photography at SFMOMA, where she has organized numerous acclaimed exhibitions. She has also contributed essays to numerous catalogues and is a widely published art critic on topics related to feminist, queer, and collaborative art and craft. https://www.sfmoma.org/stories/

Sarah Allen
Assistant Curator (TATE Modern, London, U.K.)

Is Assistant Curator at Tate Modern where she curates exhibitions and displays as well as researches acquisitions for the international collection.
https://www.tate.org.uk/visit/tate-modern

Marta Weiss
Senior Curator (Victoria & Albert Museum, London, U.K.)

Marta Weiss is Senior Curator of Photographs at the Victoria and Albert Museum. She joined the V&A in 2007 after two years in the Department of Photographs at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. https://www.vam.ac.uk

Dilys Ng
Photo Editor (TIME, New York, U.S.A)

Dilys commissions, directs and produces visuals. She is currently Senior Photo Editor at TIME. Singapore born, New York based.
https://time.com/

Elizabeth Renstrom
Senior Photo Editor (The New Yorker, New York, U.S.A)

Currently Senior Photo Editor at The New Yorker, Elizabeth oversees the production behind the publications striking imagery, having previously been Senior Photo Editor at VICE. A curator and photographer herself, she has also shot for the New Yorker, TIME and Instagram.
https://www.newyorker.com/

Izabela Radwanska Zhang
Managing Editor (British Journal of Photography, London, U.K.)

Izabela Radwanska Zhang is Managing Editor of print and online at British Journal of Photography and 1854 Media, having worked there since 2016. Her words have also appeared in Disegno, The Independent and Press Association.
https://www.1854.photography/

Emily Graham
Cultural Commissions & Partnerships Manager (Magnum Photos, London, U.K.)

At Magnum Photo’s Emily manages the UK exhibitions, cultural commissions and creative projects. She is also a freelance creative consultant and curator. Additionally she has worked as an editor and producer on projects for a variety of artists and institutions, including the Victoria & Albert Museum and NGO WaterAid. https://www.magnumphotos.com/

Azu Nwagbogu
Founder/Director (LagosPhoto, Lagos, Nigeria)

Azu was previously Director/Head Curator of the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art in South Africa. Creator of Art Base Africa, a virtual space for contemporary African Art. Regular Juror worldwide inc Dutch Doc; POPCAP; World Press Photo, Prisma Award; Greenpeace Photo Award; New York Times Portfolio Review. For the past 20 years, he has curated private collections for individuals and corporate organisations in Africa.
https://www.lagosphotofestival.com/

Gwen Lee
Director (Singapore International Photography Festival & DECK, Singapore, Asia)

After working in the museum industry, Lee co-founded Singapore International Photography Festival (SIPF). In 2014, Lee and the SIPF team built an independent art space called DECK to provide a year round platform and residency program for photographers. DECK received the Singapore President's Design Award 2015. Lee has curated and organised over 60 photography international exhibitions including Flux: Contemporary Photography from China at Art Science Museum and solo exhibitions of Daido Moriyama and Araki Nobuyoshi. She is also an international jury member and portfolio reviewer.
https://www.sipf.sg/

Alexa Becker
Acquisitions Editor (Kehrer Verlag, Heidelberg, Germany)

Is Acquisitions Editor for photography and art books at Kehrer Verlag, which is among the world’s leading publishers of photo-books and one of the few independent publishing houses in Germany. She started her career at Kehrer in 2003, where she is responsible for selecting and acquiring new photography related projects.
https://www.kehrerverlag.com/

Stella Nantongo
Co-Ordinator (Uganda Press Photo Award, Kampala, Uganda)

Stella Nantongo is the programme and project coordinator at the Uganda Press Photo Award, an annual photography platform and competition for East Africa. A photography enthusiast with a mostly forgotten degree in IT, Stella is passionate about ways in which photographic education sparks creativity. https://ugandapressphoto.org

FAQ

WHO CAN ENTER?

Entry is open to all photographers, artists, curators, archives, collectives from anywhere in the world. The Jury will be looking for high quality work.

Submissions must be photographic or lens based but can include incorporations of other art forms with the photographic medium (i.e. performance, painting, sculpture, film, music, literature etc)

The Jury will consider photographs, photo-media, performance, photo-films, photo-books, new media, archives and sculptural forms. All works must be practical within the Festival guidelines and dates. If you have the information, please include install images as part of your submission (within 15 images)

Applicants must be Age 16+

WILL MY SUBMISSION PIECES HAVE TO DERIVE FROM A PHOTOGRAPHIC PRACTICE?

Your work should consist of or relate to photography somehow, submission pieces can include proposed photography related events, exhibitions and workshops as well as works deriving from photography related audience participation, performance, video, photobooks, new media, archive, installation, sculptural forms, photomedia and photofilm. We are open to ideas!

HOW MANY IMAGES CAN I SUBMIT?

Each proposal to the open submission can include up to 10 images from a particular series/body of work, this includes installation shots. A photo-book can be submitted for exhibition by uploading a single PDF (No Image Limit). A non-refundable application contribution of Early Bird €22 (available until 31 January 2021) or Standard €29 (available until 5 March 2021) is payable on submission. Applicants are welcome to make more than one application, but the relevant fee will be payable for each application. Each image must be at least 3000 pixels on the longest side, sRGB, JPEG file and no more than 10 MB.

The application fee will cover submissions up to 10 images per project (15 for collectives), images can include reference to moving image, install shots, ideas and composite images. We welcome submissions from all over the world, from practitioners, institutions, curators and collectives.

Please note that later in the process photos of a higher quality will be required by successful artists when printing their work both for exhibition and the festival programme.

WHAT SHOULD I SUBMIT ALONGSIDE MY IMAGE FILES?

Project description 2000 characters (including blank spaces), describe the ideas and content of your project, how many images it consists of and all other practical and conceptual information. Please include web links to additional information if relevant Installation description 2000 characters (including blank spaces) if relevant please include installation notes and practical details about how you would ideally like to present your work, including, size, medium, layout and any other information. If selected we cannot guarantee that all conditions will be met, but your information will be used for reference. Biography Please include image descriptions if relevant, including size, content and install information.

INSTALLATION NOTES & IMAGERY

Within your application you are welcome to include practical notes such as display descriptions, production and installation methods. Where possible also include images to help explain this.

PAYMENTS

Application fee, Early Bird €22 (Until 31st January 2021) application fee, Standard €29 (after 31st January 2021)

Payments are paid via Stripe (incl Visa, MasterCard and others)

The submission contribution charged is in aid of Belfast Photo Festival 2021 and directly contributes to the organisation and delivery of the festival for the benefit of all participants, the money received is shared directly with the selected artists. Belfast Photo Festival is a non-profit organisation. Registered charity number: NIC102819.

APPLICATION INFORMATION

FESTIVAL INFORMATION & KEY DATES

The public dates of the festival are 3rd - 30th June 2021. (Festival launch on the 3rd June 2021). Some exhibition dates may be longer depending on exhibition venue.

The OPEN SUBMISSION exhibitions will be shown in the main Festival gallery. Additional opportunities may arise and be offered for exhibition in a wide range of venues from galleries, non gallery spaces, factory buildings, empty shops and potentially public space as relevant. 

SUCCESSFUL APPLICANTS

The final selection of artists from the Open Submission will be made in collaboration between the Jury and the festival curators. There will be between 20 -- 40 selected artists, depending on project proposals, image sizes/numbers etc.

Successful entrants will be selected and notified by email in late-March / Early April 2021 with information regarding following steps towards the final exhibition. A list of selected applicants and awardees will be published on the Belfast Photo Festival website. The decision on successful entrants is final. Unsuccessful candidates will be notified

INSTAGRAM FEATURED APPLICANTS

From December onwards applications will be highlighted by Belfast Photo Festival Curators and shown through the @BelfastPhotoFestival Instagram and shared with our 50K+ online audience. Please note that if your work is shared on the Belfast Photo Festival Instagram platform this does not mean that your work has or has not been selected for the festival as successful applicants will be determined later (in March 2021) after the works have been seen by the Jury. Through submitting your work you give permission for the Belfast Photo Festival Team to potentially use your work in this way and to publish it online and on the Belfast Photo Festival social media platforms.

WHAT WILL SUCCESSFUL APPLICANTS RECEIVE

All winners will be included in the 2021 Belfast Photo Festival Exhibitions Programme. Belfast Photo Festival will produce your photographic work for exhibition in the festivals main city centre gallery at no cost to you (the photographer). A number of other awards will be made by the Jury and Belfast Photo Festival Team consisting of cash, services, special exhibitions and exposure through publications. 

DELIVERY OF WORK (ADDITIONAL EXHIBITION OPPORTUNITIES)

If additional exhibition opportunities arise and are offered and agreed with the submitting photographer and only if exhibition of existing work or the production of new work has been agreed with the photographer will the following apply.

Artists are responsible for the production, preparation, mounting/ framing/mastering, management, delivery, transportation and return of their work to and from Belfast for exhibition during the full festival period. Belfast Photo Festival Team may be able to support some artists with production or transportation as relevant, this will be decided by the festival team. Belfast Photo Festival team will install all of the exhibitions, artists may be involved with the installations as relevant.

All exhibitions will be installed between 24th May and the 3rd June 2021; selected works must be available and in Belfast for installation during this period. Exact install dates will be discussed and agreed with each artist directly and will depend on the venue and support needed. All exhibitions must be installed by the end of the 2nd June 2021. The festival launch takes place during the 3rd June 2021.

RETURN OF WORK

If the artist wishes to keep their work produced by the Festival or supplied to the Festival after exhibition it is the artist's responsibility to collect their work in person or organise and pay for the transportation of their work within the set deadline, failing this the work will be destroyed.

The delivery, install and return dates will be clearly stated in correspondence should you be successful. Some installation support will be available at certain festival venues. If required, installation logistics will be discussed directly with each selected artist.

All selected artists will be included in the Belfast Photo Festival publications, website and in major PR campaigns in print media and online. We care very much about the visibility and support for every photographer as the exhibitions are a core part of the Belfast Photo Festival programme. Each artist will receive a dedicated page on our website and be part of Belfast Photo Festival's international marketing and PR campaigns.