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Immagini e trame d’acqua Open Call 2026 explores water as both a physical presence and a thread connecting landscapes, memory, culture and communities. Organized by Fondazione Le Stanze della Fotografia and the Association for the Heritage of the Prosecco Hills of Conegliano and Valdobbiadene, the international call is free to enter and runs until September 30, 2026. Photography projects must combine a sequence of 3 to 10 images with a short narrative text, while a separate category is dedicated to video storytelling.
The project begins with the UNESCO-listed Prosecco Hills but deliberately extends beyond that territory, allowing participants to consider water in relation to cultural and landscape heritage elsewhere in Italy and around the world. Three projects from each category will be selected for exhibition at Le Stanze della Fotografia in Venice, and a selection of submitted work may also appear in a printed brochure distributed through the venue’s bookshop and selected cultural spaces. For photographers browsing Deartline’s photo contest directory, this call sits at the intersection of documentary practice, visual storytelling and cultural heritage, while also joining the range of free photo contests currently open internationally.
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Prizes
The prizes focus on exhibition, recognition and publication.
- Best Visual Story Award: Recognizes a project that combines images and text with strong narrative coherence, originality and expressive quality.
- Best Language and Experimentation Award: Rewards formal research, innovation and an original use of the chosen medium.
- Young Under 30 / Schools Special Mention: Dedicated to student projects and younger authors.
- Selected projects: Three projects from each category will be chosen for exhibition at Le Stanze della Fotografia.
- Publication: A selection of entries may be included in a brochure distributed through the Le Stanze della Fotografia bookshop and selected bookstores and cultural venues.
The central benefit is therefore a physical exhibition opportunity, with an additional possibility of inclusion in an editorial publication.
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Categories or Themes
The Immagini e trame d’acqua Open Call has two categories:
- Photography and Text: A photographic reportage consisting of 3 to 10 images accompanied by a narrative text of no more than three pages.
- Video: A visual story of up to two minutes combining images, words and sound.
Both categories respond to the wider theme of water: as a vital resource, a natural and agricultural element, a cultural symbol, part of collective memory and a link between places and communities. For photographers, this makes the call particularly relevant to documentary photography and visual storytelling connected with landscape and cultural heritage.
Dates and Entry Fees
| Stage | Date |
|---|---|
| Open call begins | April 14, 2026 |
| Submission deadline | September 30, 2026 |
| Selection completed | Within 20 days after the deadline |
Participation is completely free. More than one project may be submitted, although each participant can receive only one award.
How to Enter
Applications must be sent by email. The subject line should contain the participant’s full name followed by “Open Call Immagini e trame d’acqua”.
The email must include the project material, a short synopsis, a brief biography and the signed release form. Photography files must be high-resolution JPEG or TIFF images without watermarks, signatures or logos, while the accompanying text should be supplied as PDF or Word.
Participation also requires publication of the photographic or video material on the entrant’s personal Facebook or Instagram account, tagging @lestanzedellafotografia and using the hashtag #opencallcolline26. Both the email submission and social post must be completed by the deadline.
About the Jury
The Immagini e trame d’acqua Open Call jury consists of Antonio G. Bortoluzzi, Denis Curti, Maurizio Galimberti, Marina Montedoro and Sabrina Zuccato. The panel brings together expertise in photography, curation, writing, journalism and cultural heritage.
Before reaching the jury, all submitted and published projects undergo an initial eligibility and relevance review. Entries considered off-theme or inappropriate may be removed before the final judging stage.
Why Enter Immagini e trame d’acqua Open Call?
The strongest aspect of the Immagini e trame d’acqua Open Call is that photography is assessed as a narrative project rather than as a single isolated image. Entrants must build a small body of work and connect it to writing, making sequencing, context and storytelling part of the submission itself. The water theme is broad enough to include environmental, cultural, agricultural and social interpretations without prescribing a single photographic style.
The exhibition setting is also significant. Selected projects move from an emailed submission and social-media component into a physical presentation at Le Stanze della Fotografia in Venice, with possible additional circulation through the printed brochure. For photographers comparing the best photography competitions, this is therefore most relevant to those interested in project-based work, visual essays and narratives connected with place and heritage.
Rules and Copyright
We reviewed the official rules of the Immagini e trame d’acqua Open Call to summarize the key participation requirements, copyright terms and image usage conditions. Before entering, we recommend checking the complete rules published by the organizer.
Rules
The competition is international and open to adult individuals and collectives. Professional and non-professional photographers, writers, storytellers, videomakers, students and photography enthusiasts may participate. Minors may take part only within school or collective projects represented by an adult and with parental authorization.
There is, however, an important distinction regarding photographic content: the rules explicitly list images depicting minors among the prohibited materials. Photographers should therefore avoid submitting photographs portraying minors, even though separate provisions exist for minors participating in school or collective projects.
Entries containing illegal, offensive, discriminatory, political or religious propaganda, advertising, promotional material, merchandising, visible logos, signatures or watermarks may also be excluded.
Copyright and Image Usage
Copyright remains with the photographer. By submitting, the author grants the organizers a free, non-exclusive and indefinite license covering exhibition of selected work, reproduction in editorial publications, communication and promotion of the initiative, and preservation in physical and digital archives.
Selected projects may also be made available online for cultural, institutional and non-commercial purposes. The organizers may not transfer these usage rights to third parties or use the work for unrelated commercial purposes without the photographer’s written consent.
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For more information and to participate in the contest, visit: the official website.
