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What remains when people leave a place behind? Empty Places: Abandoned Spaces 2026 by Praxis Gallery explores that question through photographs of forgotten buildings, deserted interiors, rural ruins, and landscapes shaped by human absence. This international juried photography exhibition is accepting entries until October 25, 2026, with up to 74 photographs to be selected for a physical exhibition in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Organized by Praxis Gallery & Photo Arts Center, the exhibition will run from November 21 to December 12, 2026. Selected photographs will also be featured in the gallery’s permanent online exhibition archive. The awards include Juror’s Choice, Directors’ Choice, and eight Honorable Mentions. Entry costs $35 for up to five images, with additional photographs accepted for $5 each. For photographers exploring the top photography contests listed in Deartline, this call combines a focused artistic theme with the opportunity to exhibit work in an established physical gallery.
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Prizes
The awards for Empty Places: Abandoned Spaces 2026 focus on gallery exhibition, photographic presentation, and recognition. Up to 74 photographs will be selected for a group exhibition at Praxis Gallery in Minneapolis.
- Selected Artists: Up to 74 photographs will be exhibited at Praxis Gallery from November 21 to December 12, 2026. Accepted works will also appear in the gallery’s permanent online exhibition archive.
- Juror’s Choice Award: The recipient receives free entry into three future Praxis Gallery juried calls of their choice.
- Directors’ Choice Award: The recipient receives free entry into two future Praxis Gallery juried calls of their choice.
- Eight Honorable Mentions: These photographs will be featured in the exhibition, printed exhibition catalog, and online exhibition gallery.
Praxis also documents its exhibitions through photographic records and published exhibition materials. Selected photographers can offer their exhibition prints for sale, with the gallery retaining a 50% commission on sales.
Related Photo Contests
Categories or Themes
Empty Places: Abandoned Spaces 2026 does not have separate competition categories. The exhibition centers on the visual and emotional significance of emptiness, absence, and abandonment.
Praxis welcomes images of derelict factories, neglected homes, civic structures, vacant interiors, rural ruins, and landscapes emptied of human presence. The theme is broad enough for photographs that are documentary in nature or more poetic, symbolic, and surreal in their interpretation.
Architectural subjects are a natural part of the call, making it relevant to photographers who follow architecture photography awards. Yet a building does not need to be visibly ruined to convey absence. A quiet interior or an apparently ordinary space can suggest just as much through composition, atmosphere, and the details left within the frame.
The same applies to landscape photography, where empty environments and traces of former activity can tell stories without showing a single person. More conceptual interpretations are also welcome, provided the work responds to the central theme rather than simply presenting an unoccupied scene.
Dates and Entry Fees
The Empty Places: Abandoned Spaces by Praxis Gallery 2026 edition has an October submission deadline, followed by notification of selected artists and the exhibition in November.
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| Submission Deadline | October 25, 2026, at 11:59 PM Central Time |
| Notification of Acceptance | October 30, 2026, at 4 PM Central Time |
| Exhibition Dates | November 21 – December 12, 2026 |
Entry Fees:
- $35 for up to five images.
- $5 for each additional image, up to ten images in total.
- Praxis members may submit ten images for the price of five.
Entry fees are non-refundable. Artists experiencing financial hardship may request a free submission by contacting info@praxisgallery.com.
How to Enter
Entries must be submitted through the online application form available on the official Praxis Gallery website. Photographs should be uploaded as JPEG files at 72 ppi, with the longest side measuring no more than 1920 pixels and a maximum file size of 8 MB.
Each file should follow the required naming format: ImageTitle_by_FirstName_LastName.jpg. Applicants complete the submission form, upload their images, and pay the relevant fee by credit or debit card. Selected photographers will receive further instructions for preparing exhibition prints or submitting high-resolution files for the gallery’s printing service.
Why Enter Empty Places: Abandoned Spaces 2026?
What makes this exhibition distinctive is its treatment of absence as a photographic subject in its own right. Empty and abandoned spaces are not necessarily the same thing: one may be defined by what is missing, while the other can reveal the traces of what once existed. This distinction gives photographers room to approach the theme through historical observation, visual storytelling, architectural details, or more personal interpretations.
The exhibition also offers a tangible presentation opportunity. Selected photographs will be shown in a physical gallery in Minneapolis and preserved in an online exhibition archive. For international photographers, the optional printing service provides an alternative to shipping original work overseas, while the printed catalog adds another form of documentation for recognized images.
Photographers looking for more photo challenges to participate in will find that this Empty Places: Abandoned Spaces 2026 by Praxis Gallery its focus is the relationship between the photograph, the exhibition space, and a specific curatorial idea. For artists already developing work about abandoned places, memory, or human absence, that makes the exhibition especially relevant to an existing photographic series.
Rules and Copyright
We reviewed the official rules of the Empty Places: Abandoned Spaces 2026 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.
- The competition accepts international submissions.
- Submitted photographs must not have been exhibited at Praxis Gallery within the previous year.
- Digital submissions must comply with the specified JPEG dimensions, file size, and naming format.
- Selected artists may provide original unframed prints or use the gallery’s optional printing service.
- Original prints must be shipped with reusable packaging and prepaid return postage.
- Exhibition prints offered for sale are subject to a 50% gallery commission.
Copyright and Image Usage
Photographers retain full copyright to their images. By submitting, artists grant Praxis Gallery a non-exclusive right to use accepted photographs for exhibition display, promotion of the artist and related programs, online exhibition archives, and features on the gallery’s website and social media.
The artist’s name must accompany the work wherever it is displayed. Accepted photographs remain permanently archived in the Praxis Gallery online exhibition gallery. Although the permitted uses are described, the published terms do not specify a separate expiration date for the license or expressly address sublicensing and third-party rights.
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For more information and to participate in the contest, visit: the official website.
