Self by Decagon Gallery

The Self by Decagon Gallery photography competition turns the camera back on the photographer. Built around self-portraiture that moves beyond simple likeness, the call looks for images connected to identity, memory, aging, gender, grief, joy, transformation, family, solitude and the body. Entries close on November 17, 2026, with $1,000 in total cash awards and an online exhibition running from December 6, 2026 through February 6, 2027. For photographers checking our photo contest calendar for focused opportunities, SELF offers a tightly defined theme without restricting photographic style or process.

The competition is open worldwide to photographers aged 18 and over. Single images and series are accepted, while the entry fee is $25 for up to four photographs and $5 for each additional image. Douglas Beasley will jury the exhibition, selecting the First, Second and Third Place winners, two Honorable Mentions and the participating photographs. A separate Human Presence Award provides free entry to a future Decagon Gallery exhibition.

Prizes

Self by Decagon Gallery distributes $1,000 in total cash awards, alongside exhibition, publication and additional recognition for selected photographers.

• First Place:
  • $500 in cash.
  • Solo exhibition on the gallery’s webpage.
• Second Place:
  • $250 in cash.
• Third Place:
  • $150 in cash.
• Two Honorable Mentions:
  • $50 each.
• Human Presence Award:
  • Free entry to a future Decagon Gallery exhibition of the recipient’s choice.
• Selected Photographers:
  • Inclusion in the professionally curated online exhibition and a professionally designed exhibition catalog.
  • Digital badge and certificate for exhibiting artists.
• Curator’s Picks:
  • Photographs that are not selected for the exhibition may still be considered for occasional Instagram features during the year. This is optional and requires the photographer’s permission on the entry form.

Categories or Themes

SELF does not use separate competition categories. Instead, every entry responds to one central theme: photographic self-portraiture that goes beyond recording the photographer’s appearance.

That leaves considerable room within the brief. Decagon specifically welcomes documentary, constructed, conceptual and experimental approaches, whether staged or unstaged and whether submitted as individual photographs or a series. Identity, aging, illness, memory, grief, gender, family, solitude, transformation and the body are among the subjects suggested by the call. This makes the competition particularly relevant to photographers following portrait photography contests with a personal or autobiographical focus.

Dates and Entry Fees

Self by Decagon Gallery follows a compact schedule, with the exhibition opening less than a week after selected photographers are notified.

Entry fees:

• $25 for up to 4 photographs.
• $5 for each additional photograph.

Decagon Gallery also states that photographers experiencing financial hardship, living in a war-torn area or residing in a sanctioned country may contact the gallery to request an entry fee waiver.

How to Enter:

Entries are submitted through Decagon Gallery’s online application form. Files should be JPG, JPEG or PNG, measure between 2100 and 5000 pixels on the longest side, and contain no watermarks, logos, signatures, borders, frames or text. Filenames should follow the FirstName-LastName_Title format.

The form also asks for a short first-person introduction and brief written responses about the submitted photographs. Those responses are shared with the juror and may, if selected, be edited for clarity and incorporated into the exhibition presentation. The current application form provides upload fields for up to ten photographs.

About the Jury

Self by Decagon Gallery will be juried by Douglas Beasley, a photographer whose work focuses on the spiritual and emotional dimensions of people and place and on expressions of the sacred in everyday life. His personal projects have been supported by grants and commissions, exhibited and collected internationally, and published in photography magazines. His books include Japan; A Nisei’s First Encounter, Earth Meets Spirit and Zen & the Art of Photography. Beasley is also the founder and director of Vision Quest Photo Workshops, where his teaching emphasizes personal expression and creative vision.

For SELF, that background is directly connected to the exhibition’s emphasis on photographs with emotional stakes and a clearly felt personal point of view. The application materials also state that entrants’ written responses about their photographs will be shared with the juror.

Why Enter Self by Decagon Gallery?

One of the clearest distinctions of SELF is that the selection is not presented as an image-only exercise. The application asks photographers to say, in their own words, what remained with them after making each photograph, and that context is provided to the juror. For a call centered on identity and self-examination, this gives photographers space to establish the relationship between the image and the experience behind it without requiring a lengthy project statement.

The exhibition itself is online rather than a physical gallery show, an important distinction when weighing the opportunity. In return, selected photographers receive a juried presentation, catalog publication, certificates and promotional support, while the competitive structure adds $1,000 in cash awards. The combination may be especially relevant to photographers with self-portrait work that already carries a strong personal narrative. For those comparing the best photo contests across different exhibition formats, Self by Decagon Gallery offers a specific curatorial focus rather than a broad open-theme brief.

Rules and Copyright

We reviewed the official rules of the Self by Decagon Gallery 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

Entrants must be at least 18 years old, and the call is open worldwide. Submitted photographs must be the entrant’s own work and must not infringe another person’s copyright.

SELF accepts photographic self-portraits in any process or style, including individual images and series. Submission files should meet the gallery’s technical specifications and must not contain identifying marks, borders or added text.

Images substantially created using Artificial Intelligence are not eligible. Decagon does permit limited AI-assisted editing, with examples including minor object removal or image extension. The final eligibility decision rests with the gallery and exhibition juror.

Copyright and Image Usage

Photographers retain copyright and all rights to their submitted photographs. For work selected for the exhibition, entrants give Decagon Gallery permission to display the photographs online, include them in exhibition catalogs and use them to promote gallery exhibitions and programs through its website, social media, newsletters and other promotional activity.

Decagon states that submitted photographs will not be distributed to other parties without the photographer’s permission and that selected images will not be used for other purposes without consent. Separate permission is requested from photographers who wish to have their work considered for future Instagram features such as Curator’s Picks.

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For more information and to participate in the contest, visit: the official website.