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Barcelona Experimental Photo Festival 2026 Open Call is where exhibition ideas turn into walls, light and audiences. The festival returns to Barcelona with twenty solo shows across emblematic venues in July 2026, and this international call is open now through early November. Shortlisted artists receive visibility before directors from dozens of festivals, plus tangible support to get the work installed and seen. If you track the best photography challenges online, this is a timely chance to put experimental practice in front of a committed audience.
There is no fixed theme. Proposals should push photographic language through process and presentation (mixing techniques, strengthening the message and, where relevant, embracing collaboration). Twenty creators will be selected to exhibit at Centre Cívic Pati Llimona, Institut d’Estudis Fotogràfics de Catalunya (IEFC) and Experimental Hub Barcelona. Each selected proposal receives support valued at €700 in cash and in kind, including production assistance, a festival ticket or full pass if teaching, and other benefits. The submission fee is €20 per project, and results are scheduled for mid-December. For those building a practice around experimental photography or adjacent areas like analog photography competitions, this open call aligns well with exhibition-focused goals.
The Barcelona Experimental Photo Festival 2026 Open Call Prizes
Winning in the Barcelona Experimental Photo Festival 2026 Open Call isn’t just about cash — it’s about visibility, production support, and being part of one of the most respected gatherings for experimental photographers worldwide. The festival transforms selected projects into full solo shows, with each artist receiving tangible help to make their work shine.
What winners receive:
Each of the 20 selected artists will receive a package valued at €700, combining direct production support, visibility, and professional opportunities:
- Up to €250 to produce, transport, or install their exhibition — direct financial help to get the work on the wall.
- Free festival ticket (or a full pass worth about €200 if leading a workshop), plus official festival merchandising and lunch throughout the event week.
- €150 in courses at Agora, School of Experimentation — giving winners a chance to refine or expand their artistic process.
- Participation in the international conference “Experimenting with the Exhibition,” an invaluable platform for curators, artists and researchers.
- Priority access to official accommodation and exposure before dozens of festival directors and curators from around the world.
- Promotion through the festival’s website, catalogue, newsletters and social media.
Related Photo Contests
The Categories of the Barcelona Experimental Photo Festival 2026
The Barcelona Experimental Photo Festival 2026 Open Call does not use categories. It focuses on experimental photography as a field, welcoming projects that combine analogue and digital processes, expand concepts and explore new forms of exhibition. This makes it relevant across conceptual photography awards and fine art photography contests without limiting subject matter.
Barcelona Experimental Photo Festival 2026 Open Call Dates and Entry Fees
- Submission window: October 2, 2025 to November 3, 2025.
- Results: December 17, 2025.
- Festival dates in Barcelona: July 22–26, 2026.
Entry fee: €20 per project. Multiple projects are allowed, each as a separate application.
How to Enter:
Create a Picter account, complete your profile, prepare your project proposal and visuals, submit each project as a separate application, then pay the €20 fee to finalize.
About the Jury
The jury comprises four members connected to the festival and the experimental scene: Pablo Giori; Arantxa Berganzo i Ràfols; Emiliano Covello; and Astrid Jacomme. Their evaluation focuses on originality, innovation, photographic quality and technical diversity.
Why Enter Barcelona Experimental Photo Festival 2026 Open Call?
Twenty solo exhibitions across recognized venues in a global cultural capital, scheduled during a festival week that concentrates audiences, peers and decision-makers. Benefits include production support, training and program integration, plus communication to a large community. The open call also positions work within a network of festival directors, adding long-term value for artists who navigate photography challenges and contests. Artists working at the edges of process will also find alignment with experimental photography contests and conceptual photography awards.
Rules and Copyright
This section about the rules and image rights of the Barcelona Experimental Photo Festival 2026 Open Call 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
Eligibility is international. Entries are submitted exclusively via Picter. The fee is non-refundable and documents cannot be modified after submission. Selected artists must be present in Barcelona to install their exhibition and during festival days; if they cannot install personally, the work must arrive with a clear plan in early June 2026 so the technical team can handle it. Works are not for sale during the festival. The jury’s decision is final.
Copyright and Image Usage
Photographers retain copyright. By submitting, they grant the festival and its association a worldwide, irrevocable and perpetual licence to use submitted images for promotional purposes, including exhibitions, website and social media. Personal data is used to administer the open call and may be stored for limited research and evaluation purposes in line with the organizer’s policies and Picter’s platform policies.
For more information and to participate in the contest, visit: the official website.
