Barcelona Experimental Photo Festival 2027 Open Call

Barcelona Experimental Photo Festival 2027 Open Call for Exhibitions is where exhibition ideas turn into walls, light and audiences. The festival returns to Barcelona for its eighth edition, selecting 12 projects for solo exhibitions across a growing network of venues. This international call is open through November 7, 2026, with projects accepted from photographers, visual artists, multidisciplinary artists and collectives worldwide. If you track the best photography challenges online, this remains a notable opportunity to place experimental practice within a festival built specifically around new ways of making and presenting photography.

There is no fixed theme. Projects can be finished, in progress or previously exhibited, and may combine photography with installation, video, sound, sculpture, performance, science or technology. The 12 solo exhibitions will be developed with the festival’s curatorial and production teams across venues including Centre Cívic Pati Llimona, Experimental HUB, MUHBA Porta de Mar, BORSÍ pel Barri, Mont.BCN and Lab Nau Especial. Each solo artist receives a €150 artist fee, up to €200 in exhibition production support and access to the Ágora Diploma in Experimental Photography, valued at €999. For those building a practice around experimental photography or adjacent areas like analog photography competitions, the call remains strongly focused on developing work for exhibition.

The Experimental Photo Festival 2027 Open Call for Exhibitions Prizes

The 2027 open call combines exhibition opportunities with financial, production, educational and curatorial support. A single application can also be considered for more than one form of recognition.

12 Solo Exhibition artists receive:

• €150 artist fee. A valid invoice is required for payment.
• Up to €200 in exhibition production for previously approved expenses such as printing, display materials and mounting systems.
• Access to the 12-month Ágora Diploma in Experimental Photography, valued at €999.
• Festival access, official merchandising and meals during the corresponding festival days.
• Curatorial, production and installation support.
• Promotion through the festival’s communication channels and access to the workshop exchange program.
• Priority booking access to official accommodation. Accommodation costs are not included.
• For some projects, additional visibility during the IPFA Meeting, attended by representatives of international photography festivals.

The jury may also award a Group Exhibition Mention to an additional group of artists. These artists receive a €150 fee, access to the Ágora Diploma, festival benefits and curatorial support, while the group exhibition has a shared €600 production budget and may remain open until December 2027.

A further 20 artists will be selected for a special online feature produced in collaboration with Analog Forever Magazine.

The Categories of the Experimental Photo Festival 2027

The Barcelona Experimental Photo Festival 2027 Open Call does not use categories or a fixed theme. It focuses on experimental photography as a broad field, welcoming analog, digital, historical, alternative, hybrid and expanded practices, as well as interdisciplinary projects.

Experimentation can emerge through technique, concept, materials, installation, narrative or the relationship between photography and other media. This keeps the call relevant across conceptual photography awards and fine art photography contests without limiting subject matter.

Experimental Photo Festival 2027 Open Call Dates and Entry Fees

Entry fee: €20 per project. Multiple projects are allowed, but each requires a separate application and fee.

How to Enter:

Applications are submitted through Picter. Entrants must complete their personal and professional information, provide an artist portrait and project description, upload up to 10 project images, and include the requested technical, production and installation details. Each project must be submitted separately with the €20 application fee. Submitted information cannot be modified once the application is complete.

About the Jury

The jury comprises four members connected to the festival and the experimental photography scene: Pablo Giori; Arantxa Berganzo i Ràfols; Emiliano Covello; and Astrid Jacomme. Projects are assessed for artistic strength, experimental approach, originality and conceptual clarity, exhibition potential and the artist’s openness to dialogue, adaptation and collaboration.

Why Enter Experimental Photo Festival 2027 Open Call for Exhibitions?

One of the strongest aspects of the Barcelona Experimental Photo Festival 2027 Open Call for Exhibitions is that projects do not need to arrive as completely resolved exhibitions. Selected artists work with the curatorial and production teams to adapt scale, materials and installation to the assigned venue. That makes the call particularly relevant for projects with a strong photographic or conceptual foundation that still have room to develop once they enter an exhibition space.

A single application also opens several possible routes: a solo exhibition, consideration for the group exhibition or selection for the Analog Forever Magazine feature. Some solo exhibitions may additionally be installed in time for the IPFA Meeting, placing the work within an international network of photography festivals before the main July event. For artists navigating photography challenges and contests, that combination of exhibition development, production support and professional context is what gives this call much of its value. Artists working at the edges of the medium will also find alignment with experimental photography contests and conceptual photography awards.

Rules and Copyright

We reviewed the official rules of the Experimental Photo Festival 2027 Open Call for Exhibitions 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

Eligibility is international and includes photographers, visual artists, multidisciplinary artists and collectives at different stages of their careers. Projects may be completed, in progress, previously exhibited, published or awarded.

Selected exhibition artists must be present in Barcelona to install their exhibition and participate in the activities connected with it. Installation and dismantling are the responsibility of each artist, with assistance from the festival’s production team. Depending on the assigned venue, installation may begin from June 30, while some exhibitions may remain on display until December 2027.

Selected artists must in all cases be present during the main festival dates from July 21 to 25, 2027. Unless otherwise agreed, artists are also responsible for transporting their existing works, materials and personal equipment to and from Barcelona. Works presented within festival exhibitions are not offered for sale by Experimental Photo Festival during the event.

Copyright and Image Usage

Artists retain copyright and ownership of their work. By applying, participants grant Associació Experimentalphotofestival non-exclusive rights to distribute and reproduce submitted photographs for promotional purposes and for exhibition, educational and commercial uses.

These rights cover uses connected with Experimental Photo Festival, Ágora, School of Experimentation and IPFA, as well as participating exhibition venues and collaborating institutions. Photographers are credited with their name and the title of the work, and no additional royalties or compensation are paid for these uses.

The organizer also notes that images published through its websites or communication channels may be downloaded, saved or archived independently by third parties outside its control.

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