The Open Call for 8th SIPF 2022 begins now!

Singapore International Photography Festival (SIPF) is an international platform which aims to promote the arts and the appreciation of photography arts, as well as critical thought and academic discourse on photography in Southeast Asia. The first edition of SIPF was launched in 2008 and the festival is now one of the major photography platforms held in Southeast Asia. In each biennale edition, SIPF hosts some of the biggest names in photography, uncover new talents, and promote understanding of the world and society through creative photographic expression.

The open call runs independent of the festival theme as we hope to uncover a wide spectrum of works, both completed and ongoing. Ultimately, SIPF seeks diverse proposals from the international community to present in Singapore.

From the open call submissions, the esteemed jury members will select 20 portfolios to present across various art spaces in Singapore. There will also be three awards from the open call: Best Portfolio, Best Published Photobook and the Publishing Prize.

To find out more about our festival visit us at www.sipf.sg or www.instagram.com/sipfsg.

How to enter the Photobook Prize

Please send a physical copy of your photobook by 30 April 2022 to the address below:

Attn: Jay Lau
Singapore International Photography Festival
26 Teck Whye Lane
#11-192
Singapore 680026

What winners receive

Portfolio
Best Portfolio Prize

• SGD$2,000 cash prize

• Award presentation by Festival Guest-of-Honour during the Festival Opening in October 2022

Photobook Winners
Best Published Photobook Prize

• SGD$2,000 cash prize

Publishing Prize

• Opportunity to work with an established publisher to publish the winning dummy book

Shortlisted Artists receive

• The production of a showcase at 8th Singapore International Photography Festival in various arts and cultural spaces in Singapore alongside recognised contemporary visual artists

• Inclusion in the Festival's programmes and collaterals

• Inclusion in the Festival's communication marketing campaign

• Dedicated profile feature on the Festival website

• Being seen by a substantial number of visual arts professionals and media

• All shortlisted photobooks will be archived as part of the DECK Photobook Library

• A free Festival Pass (inclusive of exhibitions and programs)

• SGD50 off for Portfolio Review

All submitting artists will be entitled to the following perks:

• Submitted books/ portfolios will be reviewed by the jury
• 10% off Exhibitions and Talks Tickets (Online/ Regular)
• 10% off Festival Merchandise (on-site)

About the organisers

The Singapore International Photography Festival is a biennial gathering of minds from around the world with the common pursuit of advancing the art and appreciation of photography. It aims to be a much-needed arena for critical thought and academic discussion on photography in Southeast Asia.

The SIPF will also function as a key platform to discover, nurture and propel Southeast Asian photographers onto the international stage. Through its associate programmes, the festival hopes to engage the public and cultivate a larger audience. At the core of SIPF is a firm belief that photography can be enjoyed by all.

SIPF is organised by DECK, an independent art space for photography. Art Photography Centre Ltd (DECK) is supported by the National Arts Council under the Major Company Scheme for the period from 1 April 2019 to 31 March 2022.

Others

Submitted photobooks that are not shortlisted may be incorporated into the DECK Photobook Library, subjected to discretion of the DECK team.

Photobook

Ang Song Nian
Artist, Educator, Founder of The Book Show
ANG Song Nian works with materials and traces of human behaviours made visible within landscapes through photographic documentations and installation.
Song Nian's work has been awarded the Grand Prize in the 41 st edition of the New Cosmos of Photography award organized by Canon Inc.
Song Nian currently lectures in the Photography department at the School of Art, Design and Media at NTU, Singapore and is the founder of THEBOOKSHOW.

Renée Ting
Director of Singapore Art Book Fair
Renée Ting is the festival director of the Singapore Art Book Fair, an annual multi-day festival specialising in contemporary art books & zines. She is also the former manager and creative director of BooksActually, where she helmed some of their major projects including the Book Vending Machine, and the 24-Hour Bookstore Event.

Ruben Ludgren
Artist, Curator
Beijing based photographer and curator Ruben Lundgren made a name within the conceptual photography duo WassinkLundgren with publications as Empty Bottles (2007) and Tokyo Tokyo (2010). FOAM showed a retrospect of their work in 2013.
He is an independent curator of Chinese photography. Together with Martin Parr he co-edited The Chinese Photobook (2015). In 2021 he edited the book Ellen Thorbecke: From Peking to Paris, and published Real Dreams with his journalistic works made all over China.

Jeong Eun Kim
Founder and Director of The Reference Seoul
Jeong Eun Kim is editor-in-chief of IANN, the contemporary art magazine in Asia, and founder of IANNBOOKS. Serving as chief coordinator of DAEGU PHOTO BIENNALE 2012 and curator of SEOUL PHOTO FESTIVAL 2010, she is widely involved in curatorial activities within the field of photography. She is currently the director-founder of The Reference Seoul.

Yumi Goto
Curator, Researcher, Founder of Reminders Project
Yumi Goto is an independent photography curator, editor, researcher, consultant, educator and publisher who focuses on the development of cultural exchanges that transcend borders.
She is now based in Tokyo and also a co-founder and curator for the Reminders Photography Stronghold which is a curated membership gallery space in Tokyo enabling a wide range of photographic activities.

Daniel Boetker-Smith
Founder and Director, Asia-Pacific Photobook Archive, Educator
Daniel Boetker-Smith (b.1974, Australia) is the Director of the Asia-Pacific Photobook Archive as well as the Course Director at the Photography Studies College, Melbourne. His expertise is in photographic publishing, photobooks and zines, with a particular focus on the Asia-Pacific region. He regularly curates Australian and International photobook exhibitions and art events as well as write and critique for various art and photography publications.

Portfolio

Natasha Egan
Curator and Executive Director of Museum of Contemporary Photography
Since 2011, Natasha Egan has served as the executive director of the Museum of Contemporary Photography at Columbia College Chicago (MoCP), where she was previously the associate director and curator since 2000.
She has organized over sixty exhibitions with a focus on contemporary Asian art and artists concerned with societal issues, such as the environment, war, and economics.
For over a decade, she taught in the photography and humanities departments at Columbia College Chicago, and holds a BA in Asian studies, MA in museum studies, and MFA in fine art photography.

Yasufumi Nakamori
Nakamori is Senior Curator, International Art (Photography), TATE Modern
Yasufumi Nakamori is Senior Curator, International Art (Photography) at the Tate Modern, London since October 2018.
Prior to joining Tate Modern, Nakamori was department head of photography and new media at the Minneapolis Institute of Art. He was responsible for numerous key acquisitions which transformed and diversified the museum’s photography collection. Nakamori was curator of photography at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.

Mirjam Kooiman
Curator, Foam Photography Museum
Mirjam Kooiman is an art historian and recently started working as a curator at Foam Photography Museum Amsterdam. She holds a B.A. in Art History from the University of Amsterdam, with a special interest in postcolonial approaches in the arts and museum studies.
She recently graduated from the M.A. program in Museum Curating from the University of Amsterdam and the VU University Amsterdam, during which she worked as a curator in training at the photography collection of the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam.

He Yining
Independent Curator, Researcher
He Yining is a curator, writer and translator specializing in photography and visual culture. Her work is principally focused on the way in which photography is able to freely straddle the boundaries of contemporary art, responding to and raising questions about contemporary and historical social issues through effective, diverse, and interdisciplinary means.
Her publications include Photography in the British Classroom among others. She launched the Go East Project in 2014, which aims to promote contemporary Chinese photography in the West.

John Tung
Independent Curator
John Tung is an independent curator and exhibition-maker. Highlights from his former position as an Assistant Curator at the Singapore Art Museum (2015 – 2020), includes serving as a co-curator for the Singapore Biennale 2016 and 2019. The artwork commissions he curated were finalists for the prestigious Benesse Prize, of which one was a winner.
He brings with him over a decade of involvement across different fields in the arts, culture, and creative industry.

Gwen Lee
Founder and Artistic Director, Singapore International Photography Festival
Gwen Lee is the Director and co-founder of the Singapore International Photography Festival (SIPF) and DECK, launched in 2014, an independent creative container art space for photographers.
Lee has curated various photography showcases in Asia. In 2016, Lee curated the first solo exhibition of Daido Moriyama in Singapore, and a photobook exhibition with Steidl Publishing at DECK. On a regular basis, she participates as a jury and portfolio reviewer in Asia and Europe.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

For questions not answered here, please contact the Festival Office at admin@sipf.sg.

For technical questions, please refer to Picter's Submissions FAQ: https://support.picter.com/en/collections/1438231-submit-to-photo-contests

General Enquiries

1. Do I have to be a qualified/ professional photographer to participate?
   No, the open call accepts entries from emerging and established photographers worldwide.
2. Are non-Singaporeans allowed to participate?
   Yes. Participation is open to both Singaporeans and non-Singaporeans from all over the world. If you are unable to access Picter from your home country, please send an email to admin@sipf.sg with the subject "8th SIPF 2022 Open Call Submission (Non-Picter)".

3. Is the selection of works/ photobooks related to the festival theme?
   No, the open call selections are not bounded to the festival theme.

4. Who will be selecting the works?
   The works will be selected by our jury panel, which includes esteemed professionals and the curatorial and artistic team from SIPF.
5. How many photobooks/series of works can I submit?
   Each submission permits only 1 series of work/ photobook. However, there is no limit to the number of submissions per participant.
6. Am I allowed to make changes after confirming my submission?
   No changes are allowed after the open call deadline. However, participants can login via Picter to make any changes they deem fit while the open call is still ongoing.
7. If I am not based in Singapore, do I have to be physically present during the festival?
   You need not be physically present during the festival. All production and installation matters for the showcase will be handled by SIPF.
8. Can I submit the same images/ photobooks for the Open Call Showcase and SIPF's Portfolio Review?
   Yes.
9. Am I allowed to submit my work after the deadline?
   We strongly advise you to submit your works by the deadline stated. There would be a penalty fee of USD50 for works submitted up to 3 days after the deadline.

Payment and Submission Fees

1. Why is there a participation fee and why does the festival need it?
   The participation fee will cover administrative costs to process the Open Call submissions, and as well as the essential costs of the open call showcase.
2. What are the expenses covered by the festival?
   SIPF will cover all production expenses related to the open call showcase. SIPF will also produce festival brochures/guides as promotional material for exhibiting photographers.
   SIPF will not cover expenses such as hire fees, or travel costs of the photographer, unless specified otherwise in a separate written agreement.
3. What are the modes of payment available?
   Picter currently accepts payment via credit cards.

4. Is there a concession for students / non-working participants?
   There are no concession rates for students / non-working participants. All participants are required to pay the stated registration fee. However, there is an early-bird rate for portfolio submissions made before 20 December 2021.

5. Will I be refunded if I choose to withdraw from the open call/ if my work is not selected? No. All payment made are final and SIPF will not offer any refund for withdrawn or rejected submissions.

   Please contact Picter if you have any technical issues with the payment.

6. Can I register and pay on behalf of another photographer?
   To prevent unnecessary misunderstanding, photographers are advised to register under their own name for submission of works.

Portfolio Queries

1. What is the minimum and maximum number of images that I can submit?
   Each body of work must include minimum 7 images, and maximum 20 images.
2. What constitutes a series of work?
   A series of work should embody and convey a consistent message, idea, theme and/or topic.
3. Will I still retain the copyright of my images?
   Yes. All artists will retain their rights to their works. However, if a project is selected, the artist is required to transfer his/her rights to SIPF temporarily for free reproduction and exhibition of the submitted images in all media, printed marketing material, publication and online, but only in connection with SIPF and its promotion.
4. Am I allowed to submit digitally-manipulated images?
   Yes.
5. Other than still images, will other forms of submission of media be accepted?
   Yes, however if the works are selected there will be further conversations with our curators and festival team to optimise the presentation method for the series.
6. Can I submit works that were previously published by other exhibition/competitions?
   Yes, but submitted works must not be exhibited in Singapore 6 months prior to the festival showcase in October 2022.
7. Can I submit my images via mail?
   No. Submission of images must be via digital channels. If you are unable to access Picter from your home country, please send an email to admin@sipf.sg with the subject "9th SIPF 2022 Open Call Submission (Non-Picter)".
8. What is an artist statement?
   An artist statement is a written description of your body of work. The write up should convey a consistent message, idea, theme and/or topic of your series.
9. Can I submit my works without an artist statement?
   No. An artist statement is important for the curators to understand the submitted works. The artist statement will also be used in the festival website, exhibition and catalogue if your works are selected. Hence, it is strongly advised that participants submit a cohesive and concise artist statement or risk being disqualified.
10. When will the results of selected photographers be announced?
    The results will be announced in July 2022 via SIPF's website and social media channels.
11. Upon selection, do I have to print my own works?
    No. All production and installation matters for the showcase will be handled by SIPF.

Photobook Queries

1. Are self-published or handmade books allowed?
   Yes, self-published, dummies and/or handmade books are accepted.
2. Do I have to submit a copy of my book to the Festival Office?
   Yes. The physical copy of your book must arrive at the SIPF Festival Office by 30 April 2022, all late entries or submissions without a physical book will be disqualified.
3. When will the results of selected photobooks be announced?
   The finalists will be announced in July 2020 via email notification. It will also be publicised on SIPF's website. The winners will be announced on the Opening Night of SIPF.
4. Will I be refunded for the postage costs if my book gets lost/ is not delivered on time?
   No. Participants are expected to ensure that their book reaches the festival safely. The festival will not refund any postage costs incurred if the book is lost or not delivered on time. For special cases, please write in to admin@sipf.sg with the subject "8th SIPF 2022 Photobook Physical Submission Issues".
5. Do I have to pay for postage to send the physical copy of my photobook to SIPF?
   Yes. The cost of postage to the Festival office will be fully borne by participants.
6. Where should I send the physical photobooks to?
   Please send your photobooks to the following address:

Attn: Jay Lau

Singapore International Photography Festival
26 Teck Whye Lane
#11-192
Singapore 680026

7. What happens to the physical copy of my photobook?
   The shortlisted photobooks will be archived as part of DECK's library as a resource of research for the public at the end of the festival. If opportunities arise, these books may also be sent on a travelling photobook showcase with various overseas photobook festivals and/or spaces.
   The other submitted photobooks may be archived as part of DECK's library subjected to the discretion of the festival organisers.