The FENCE is a large-scale traveling photography exhibition reaching over 8 million visitors annually through open-air exhibitions in 8 cities across North America: Atlanta, Brooklyn, Boston, Calgary, Denver, Houston, Sarasota and Seattle.

Photographers of all levels are invited to submit work for consideration by the jury. The submitted work should fit one or more of our 7 thematic categories: Home, Streets, People, Creatures, Nature, Play, and Food.

Photographers submitting to The FENCE may also be considered for a Regional Showcase exhibitions that will highlight work by photographers living in New England, the Gulf Coast of Florida and Western Canada.

Since its inception, THE FENCE has consistently attracted exceptional work by talented photographers from around the world, giving us an opportunity to share these powerful photographic narratives with a diverse audience of millions of visitors annually, while providing photographers with a truly public platform and unexpected career opportunities.

THE FENCE was conceived and produced by United Photo Industries, and was developed in partnership with Photo District News in 2011. It was presented for the first time in 2012 in Brooklyn Bridge Park and has since grown and flourished through a series of strategic partnerships with like-minded cultural organizations across the United States.

What winners receive

• 40-45 winners will be featured on public art exhibitions in 8 cities across North America (from July 2019 through March 2020)

• A Juror’s Choice grand prize winner receives an exhibition at Photoville, and a $5,000 (USD) project development grant

• A People’s Choice winner will receive a Leica camera package and a Leica Akademie masterclass.

United Photo Industries is a New York based non-profit organization that works to promote a wider understanding and increased access to the art of photography. Founded in 2011 by Sam Barzilay, Dave Shelley, and Laura Roumanos, United Photo Industries has rapidly solidified its position in the public art landscape by consistently showcasing thought-provoking, challenging, and exceptional photography from across the globe.

Proudly devoted to cultivating strategic partnerships, creative collaborations, and community spirit, United Photo Industries has presented hundreds of exhibitions and public art installations across the United States and worldwide in partnership with numerous festivals, city agencies, and not-for-profit organizations.

For more information about United Photo Industries, visit unitedphotoindustries.com

Judging Criteria

The contest consists of three rounds of evaluation. Entries will be judged on the basis of creativity, photographic quality and effectiveness in expressing the competition category they were submitted to.

Jury highlights

• Marcia Allert – Director of Photography, Dallas Morning News
• Laylah Amatullah Barrayn – Photographer + Curator, MFON: Women Photographers of the African Diaspora
• Mallory Benedict– Photo Editor, National Geographic + Managing Director, Women Photograph
• Nina Berman – Photographer, NOOR/Columbia University
• Samantha Cooper – Senior Photo Editor, Wired
• Elissa Curtis – Deputy Photo Director, The Wall Street Journal
• Michelle Dunn Marsh – Executive Director + Curator, Photographic Center Northwest
• Nicole Frugé – Director of Photography , San Francisco Chronicle
• Scott Hall – Photo Director, Travel + Leisure/Departures Magazine
• Katherine Harris Pomerantz – Director of Photography, Time
• Stephanie Heimann – Director of Photography, The New Republic
• Katie Hollander – Director, Annenberg Space for Photography
• Kathryn Humphries – Art Director, Harper's Magazine
• Cat Jimenez – Co-Founder, Month of Photography Los Angeles (MOPLA)
• Russell Lord – Freeman Family Curator of Photographs, Prints, and Drawings, New Orleans Museum of Art
• Elodie Maillet Storm – CEO, Catchlight
• Henny Manley – Photo Director + Managing Editor, Esquire UK
• Morrigan McCarthy – National Photo Editor, The New York Times
• Marie Monteleone – Visual Media Assignment Editor, Bloomberg News
• Tara Pixley – Professor/Visual Journalist, Loyola Marymount University
• Gabriela Rangel – Director of Visual Arts + Chief Curator, America's Society
• Julianne Varacchi – Senior Photo Editor, ESPN
• Nicole Werbeck – Senior Supervising Editor of Visuals and Engagement, NPR
• Ariel Zambelich – Senior Photo Editor, The Intercept

For a full list of our 2019 Jury, please visit the FENCE website.

FAQ

fence.photoville.com/submit-now