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Galicia Award of Contemporary Photography returns for its fourteenth edition with a project-based format aimed at photographers working within contemporary photographic practice. Organized by the OF Outono Fotográfico Association with support from public and cultural institutions in Galicia, the award is open internationally and accepts projects without restrictions on subject or technique. The submission deadline is October 11, 2026.
This photography competition evaluates a coherent photographic project. Entrants may submit up to 15 images together with a project synopsis and biography. The work must have been created between October 2016 and October 2026 and should engage meaningfully with the discourse of contemporary photography.
Two award pathways are planned for the 2026 edition. The Jury Prize supports the production of an exhibition and potentially a photobook, with the exhibition designed to tour after its initial presentation in Galicia. A separate Organization Award supports another exhibition at the Alterarte Gallery on the Ourense Campus of the University of Vigo together with an accompanying booklet. The selection process therefore extends beyond recognition alone, placing emphasis on the development, presentation, and circulation of complete photographic bodies of work.
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Prizes and Selected Opportunities
The Galicia Award of Contemporary Photography supports two photographic projects through exhibition production and publication opportunities.
- Jury Prize: Production of an exhibition based on the winning project, with a curator appointed to oversee its design, editing, and presentation. The exhibition is scheduled to begin between December 2026 and July 2027 and is intended to tour for two years.
- Jury Prize Publication: The winning project may also become a photobook within the Galicia Contemporary Photography Award series published by Difusora de Letras, Artes e Ideas and distributed through bookstores.
- Organization Award: Production of a separate exhibition at the Alterarte Gallery on the Ourense Campus of the University of Vigo, scheduled from November 2027 to January 2028.
- Organization Award Publication: The project is accompanied by a booklet within the same publishing series.
The awards therefore combine a curated exhibition opportunity with potential publication, giving selected projects a life beyond the initial jury decision.
Related Photo Contests
Categories or Themes
There are no separate subject categories. The XIV Galicia Award of Contemporary Photography operates as an open theme call, with complete freedom in both subject and technique.
The central requirement is conceptual: the submitted work should function as a coherent photographic project and engage with contemporary photographic discourse. Because entries are assessed as bodies of work rather than isolated images, the award can also be relevant to photographers interested in portfolio-based opportunities.
Dates and Entry Fees
Galicia Award of Contemporary Photography 2026 completes its selection process during October, shortly after submissions close.
| Submission deadline | October 11, 2026 |
| Selected projects announced | October 28, 2026 |
| Final winners announced | October 30, 2026 |
| Winning project materials due | November 15, 2026 |
Entry fee:
- €22 per photographic project.
Each project must have been produced between October 2016 and October 2026. It must not have been fully funded or awarded through another competition, nor previously published in its entirety in another format.
How to Enter
Applications are submitted through Picter. Each entry must include a synopsis or authorial text of no more than 2,500 characters, up to 15 photographs, and a biography of no more than 1,500 characters.
Images must be JPG files measuring at least 3000 pixels on the longest side. The project text may include links to the photographer’s website, videos, additional project images, or other bodies of work, while the biography may include links to a website, social media profiles, or an extended CV.
About the Jury
The 2026 jury brings together curators, photographers, academics, editors, cultural managers, and representatives of the institutions supporting the award. It includes Alberto Ruiz de Samaniego, Vera Carmo, Roberto Villalón Vara, Vítor Nieves, Xosé Lois Vázquez, Encarna Lago González, Eva Torres, and Xavier Riomao. Photographer and cultural organizer Pablo González Prieto serves as secretary of the jury with voice but without voting rights.
The selection considers the visual language, photographic quality, and contemporary character of each project. The Organization Award also takes into account the exploration of photographic language and the processes involved in bringing photographic work into circulation.
Why Enter Galicia Award of Contemporary Photography?
The defining feature of the XIV Galicia Award of Contemporary Photography is its focus on developing a complete photographic project. Exhibition production, curatorial involvement, touring, and publishing are built into the award structure, giving the selected work several opportunities to evolve after the initial submission.
The project format also allows photographers to present more complex narratives and visual research. With up to 15 images, an authorial text, and supporting links, the submission can communicate the relationship between individual photographs and the broader ideas behind the work. The jury’s stated emphasis on contemporary photographic discourse reinforces that project-led approach.
Photographers can compare this model with other current opportunities through Deartline’s top photo contests page. What distinguishes the Galicia Award within that wider landscape is the emphasis on production and circulation: the selected projects are intended to become exhibitions and publications rather than ending with the announcement of a winner.
Rules and Copyright
We reviewed the official rules of the XIV Galicia Award of Contemporary Photography 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 award is open internationally to authors working with photography and photographic practices.
- Projects may use any subject or photographic technique.
- Submitted projects must have been created between October 2016 and October 2026.
- A project must not have been fully subsidized or awarded through another competition or previously published in its entirety.
- Each entry may contain up to 15 JPG images measuring at least 3000 pixels on the longest side.
- A synopsis or authorial text of up to 2,500 characters and a biography of up to 1,500 characters are required.
- Entrants must own the intellectual property rights to submitted work and hold any permissions required for identifiable people appearing in the photographs.
- The published rules do not state a specific policy concerning AI-generated images.
Copyright and Image Usage
Photographers retain the intellectual property rights to selected photographs, and authorship must be credited whenever an image is used.
The organizers may reproduce images and texts forming part of winning projects without additional payment for cultural and educational purposes and for worldwide promotion and dissemination of the award, including use in catalogs and online media.
The produced exhibitions remain the property of the winning authors, although a duplicate of work selected by the jury may become part of the Outono Fotográfico photographic collection. Publication and possible future editions of the associated books are handled under the conditions established in the official rules.
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For more information and to participate in the contest, visit: the official website.
