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20/20 Photo Festival 2026 centers its call for entry on “Transforming Landscapes,” a juried group exhibition connected to the September 2026 festival in Philadelphia. The call is aimed at photographers working with analog photographic processes and asks them to reflect on how landscapes have changed across physical, technological, social, political, scientific, and artistic dimensions. Featured among the opportunities regularly highlighted in Deartline’s photography awards list, the open call combines a focused curatorial theme with the visibility of a public photo festival.
The exhibition will take place at Cherry Street Pier as part of the 20/20 Photo Festival, which runs from September 10 to 13, 2026. The call is open from May 1 through June 1, 2026, and selected works will be shown during September. The festival itself brings together exhibitions, workshops, demonstrations, artist talks, panel discussions, and a photo book fair, with programming designed to connect photography with the public sphere.
Awards include $500 for First Prize, $250 for Second Prize, $150 for Third Prize, and an Honorable Mention receiving a selection of local photography goods. Selected works will also be featured at the festival’s Photo Book Fair on September 12, 2026.
Prizes
The 20/20 Photo Festival 2026 call includes cash awards for the top three selected works, plus additional recognition through the festival exhibition and related programming.
- First Prize: $500.
- Second Prize: $250.
- Third Prize: $150.
- Honorable Mention: a selection of local photography goods.
- Selected works: exhibition at Cherry Street Pier during September 2026 as part of the 20/20 Photo Festival.
- Additional presentation: selected works will be featured at the festival’s Photo Book Fair on September 12, 2026.
The opportunity includes both cash prizes and exhibition visibility within a festival context.
Related Photo Contests
Categories or Themes
The 20/20 Photo Festival 2026 does not list separate categories. Its single theme is “Transforming Landscapes.”
The theme considers landscape broadly. It includes physical terrain, but also the technological, societal, political, scientific, and artistic environments that shape contemporary life. The call asks photographers to think about change across the American landscape over the past 250 years, including the effects of social movements, climate change, political upheaval, and invasive technologies.
Dates and Entry Fees
The call for entries is open for one month, leading into the September 2026 festival program in Philadelphia.
| Date | Details |
|---|---|
| May 1, 2026 | Call for entries opens |
| June 1, 2026 | Submission deadline |
| September 2026 | Selected works exhibited at Cherry Street Pier |
| September 12, 2026 | Selected works featured at the Photo Book Fair |
The entry fee is $25. This fee covers submission to the juried group exhibition “Transforming Landscapes.”
How to Enter
Photographers submit their work through the official online entry form. The application asks for contact details, artist information, image details, and the submitted work for consideration. Entries should respond to the “Transforming Landscapes” theme and must be created through analog photographic methods.
About the Jury
The exhibition is juried by Philadelphia-based photographer Andrew Piccone. The curatorial direction asks artists to consider how landscapes, understood both literally and metaphorically, have shifted over time.
Piccone’s framing connects the theme to social movements, climate change, political turmoil, and the influence of invasive technology on contemporary life. That perspective gives the call a documentary and reflective edge while still leaving room for varied analog approaches.
Why Enter 20/20 Photo Festival?
The 20/20 Photo Festival 2026 open call is tied directly to a public photography festival in Philadelphia, with selected works shown at Cherry Street Pier and also connected to the festival’s Photo Book Fair. That combination gives the exhibition a clear audience beyond a standard online-only presentation.
For photographers comparing the best photography challenges, this call may be relevant because it combines analog process, a defined contemporary theme, cash awards, and festival visibility. Its focus on landscapes in transition also makes it suitable for work connected to landscape photography, environmental reflection, documentary observation, and experimental analog practice.
Rules and Copyright
This section about the rules and image rights of the 20/20 Photo Festival has been generated automatically. If you are interested in participating in this contest we suggest you review the complete rules provided by the contest.
Rules
Submitted work must align with the “Transforming Landscapes” theme and be created through analog photographic methods. The contest text specifically references film types such as color negative, black-and-white, slide, and instant film, as well as formats including 35mm, 120, 4×5 large format, 110, and 126.
The call is international and selected work is intended for presentation in September 2026 at Cherry Street Pier as part of the festival. No additional technical file specifications, eligibility restrictions, or image quantity limits were clearly available in the reviewed contest page.
Copyright and Image Usage
No detailed copyright or image usage terms were clearly listed in the reviewed contest information. Photographers should review the official entry form before submitting to confirm how selected images may be used for exhibition, festival promotion, and related communications.
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For more information and to participate in the contest, visit: the official website.
