The Belfast Photo Festival Open Submission 2026 is one of those calls that can quietly change the direction of a photographer’s year. Built around an open approach to lens-based work and backed by a major international festival, it offers finalists a month-long exhibition in Belfast’s city center and outdoor galleries, extensive media exposure, and a Spotlight Award of £2,000 (around $2,700 / €2,300).
The call is open worldwide. Applicants can submit up to 15 images from a single project or body of work, or a photobook, with early bird entry set at £22 and the standard fee at £26 for each submission. Shortlisted artists are considered for a city-wide exhibition during the 2026 edition of Belfast Photo Festival, publication in the festival programme and website, and coverage through the festival’s PR and social media channels. For Deartline users who regularly browse our listings to join photography challenges online, this open call is clearly positioned toward photographers looking for high-level visibility.
Entries close on 2 March 2026, selected artists are contacted by early April, and the public festival dates run from 5 to 30 June 2026. The combination of international jury, cash award, long-running exhibition and strong press track record makes Belfast Photo Festival Open Submission 2026 a relevant option for photographers seeking both recognition and tangible opportunities to show work in a curated festival setting.
Contents
The Belfast Photo Festival Open Submission 2026 Prizes
The prize structure of Belfast Photo Festival Open Submission 2026 combines one main cash award with significant exhibition and publication benefits that extend well beyond a single event.
- Spotlight Award – £2,000 (approximately $2,700 / €2,300).
- Benefits for 20–40 finalist photographers. Their work produced and exhibited across Belfast’s city center and outdoor galleries for around one month.
- Publication and permanent visibility. Finalists’ projects are permanently featured in the festival programme, on the official website, and within marketing materials, giving long-term online and print presence beyond the exhibition itself.
- Press and media campaign. Finalists are included in an award-winning PR campaign which the festival says reaches a combined audience in the tens of millions through international media.
- Instagram residency and online promotion.
- Inclusion in Abridged Magazine.
- Abridged Editorial Award. Alongside the Spotlight Award, there is an Abridged Editorial Award, which offers a full project feature with the magazine.
- Benefits for all submitting photographers. Every entrant’s work is reviewed by a diverse jury of industry professionals, receives visibility through festival materials and press outreach where relevant, and qualifies for a discount on the 2026 Portfolio Review program.
Related Photo Contests
The Categories of the Belfast Photo Festival Open Submission 2026
The organizers describe the theme as being left open to interpretation, removing restrictions on subject, concept, or visual approach. Entries must be photographic or lens-based, but they can intersect with other art forms such as performance, painting, sculpture, music or literature. Applicants can therefore present a coherent series from a single project, or a photobook, without fitting into a predefined category list. The key requirement is that the work operates within a lens-based practice and forms a clear body of work that can be displayed in the context of the festival.
Belfast Photo Festival Open Submission 2026 Dates and Entry Fees
| Early bird period | 20 November 2025 – December 2025 |
| Early bird deadline | 31 December 2025 |
| Final submission deadline | 2 March 2026 |
| Notification of selected artists | Early April 2026 |
| Festival public dates | 5–30 June 2026, with a festival launch on 4 June |
Entry Fees:
- Early bird: £22
- Standard fee: £26
How to Enter:
Submissions are made online through Picter. Applicants visit the Belfast Photo Festival Open Submission page on Picter, register or log in, and complete all required fields in the application form. Images or photobook details must be uploaded according to the specified technical requirements, and payment is completed through Picter using Stripe. If a participant cannot use Stripe, they may contact the festival team by email to discuss alternative payment options. Entries are only considered complete once the form is fully filled in and the submission fee has been paid.
About the Jury
The jury for Belfast Photo Festival Open Submission 2026 is composed of curators and editors from major international institutions and media, alongside the festival’s director. Their backgrounds span museum photography departments, editorial commissioning, and festival programming.
The panel includes:
- Roxana Marcoci, Acting Chief Curator and senior curator of photography at The Museum of Modern Art in New York.
- Florian Ebner, Head of Photography at Centre Pompidou in Paris.
- Alessia Glaviano, Head of Global PhotoVogue and Director of the PhotoVogue Festival in Milan.
- Kim Bubello, Deputy Director of Photography at TIME in New York.
- Lisa Sutcliffe, curator in the Department of Photographs at The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
- Michael Weir, Director of Belfast Photo Festival.
For entrants, this means submitted work is being seen and evaluated by decision-makers who are actively involved in major museum exhibitions, editorial platforms, and festival programming, all of which influences how the work might circulate after the festival.
Why Enter Belfast Photo Festival Open Submission 2026?
For many photographers, the combination of a respected festival, an international jury and clearly defined exhibition opportunities is more valuable than a single award on its own. Belfast Photo Festival Open Submission 2026 integrates these elements: work is reviewed by curators and editors from leading museums and publications, finalists gain a one-month exhibition in a European city with a growing photography scene, and the Spotlight Award adds a substantial cash component on top. For those who regularly explore similar photo challenges online, it stands out as a call where the pathway from submission to public exhibition is especially concrete.
The open structure of the call accommodates a wide range of lens-based practices, from more classical documentary and portrait projects through to experimental or multidisciplinary work, as long as it can be presented as a coherent series or photobook. The festival’s communication highlights its international press reach, with previous open submission finalists appearing in globally recognised media, as well as the partnership with Photo Schweiz which extends the lifespan of selected projects. For photographers building a body of work and considering where to place it strategically, this sits close to the kind of platform associated with larger portfolio photography contests rather than a one-off themed challenge.
Rules and Copyright
This section about the rules and image rights of the Belfast Photo Festival Open Submission 2026 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
All applications must be completed and received by 11:59 p.m. (GMT) on 2 March 2026. Entries submitted after this time are not considered. Applicants must be at least 16 years old at the time of entry, and submissions are open internationally to photographers, artists, archives, collectives and curators.
Each application is made via the online platform provided in collaboration with Picter. All required fields in the form must be completed as instructed, and the submission fee must be paid in full; otherwise, the entry will not be accepted. The festival notes that the jury’s decision regarding selected artists and prize recipients is final, and that a list of selected projects and awardees will be published on the festival and Picter websites ahead of the 2026 edition.
Selected artists may be asked to provide high-resolution digital files, additional project information and biographical details, as well as professionally presented photobooks if relevant. The method of production and display of the work is determined by Belfast Photo Festival, and the festival reserves the right to decline work that does not meet the expected quality of production or presentation.
Copyright and Image Usage
The organisers state that they aim to protect the image rights of photographers and that copyright remains with the artist at all times. At no point are entrants asked to sign over ownership of their work. However, by submitting and, in particular, by being selected, artists grant Belfast Photo Festival and its authorised partners the right to use their images, names, texts and biographical information for specific purposes connected to the festival.
These uses may include publication in magazines or books, features on websites and social media, inclusion in newsletters, and other media related to promotion, publicity, news, education or awareness about Belfast Photo Festival. Such usage can take place before, during and after the festival, and is not accompanied by additional fees beyond the prizes and opportunities described in the call.
Entrants are responsible for ensuring they hold the rights to the images they submit and for securing any necessary permissions or releases from third parties, such as people appearing in the photographs or owners of locations and artworks shown. The festival also notes that it is not responsible for technical issues affecting online submission systems and reserves the right to cancel or adjust exhibitions or deadlines if necessary.
For more information and to participate in the contest, visit: the official website.
