A photograph can narrow the world to a single gesture, texture, or object. It can also pull back until the same subject becomes part of a wider social, geographical, or personal story. Focus/Expand by Solas / Shadow is built around that shift in viewpoint, asking photographers to consider what changes when attention moves between detail and context. The submission deadline is August 15, 2026, and the online photography exhibition is scheduled to begin in October.
The call is open worldwide to photographers aged 18 or older. Up to five JPG images may be submitted, with no submission fee. Selected photographers pay a participation fee based on the number of images chosen: £16 for one image or £22 for two or more. For photographers comparing photo competitions calendar listings, the call combines a focused curatorial theme with broad room for interpretation. It also joins current free photography competitions at the initial submission stage.
Selected work will appear in an online gallery and exhibition catalogue, with further presentation through the gallery’s social media and YouTube channel. Each participant also receives a digital certificate. The theme can be approached through perception, scale, intimacy, distance, isolation, identity, or the relationship between local and global concerns.
Prizes
Focus/Expand by Solas / Shadow benefits are tied to selection for the exhibition and the presentation of accepted work.
- Selected photographers: Work will be displayed in an online gallery on the Solas / Shadow website as part of the October exhibition.
- Exhibition participants: Each participant will receive a digital certificate of participation.
- Featured artists: Accepted images will be promoted through the gallery’s social media channels and YouTube channel.
- Catalogue inclusion: Selected work will be featured in an exhibition catalogue produced in PDF and physical formats, creating a documented publication opportunity.
Other Free Contests
Categories or Themes
There are no separate submission categories. The exhibition is organized around the central polarity of Focus / Expand. The “focus” side can involve close attention, intimacy, isolation, overlooked details, or a concentrated personal narrative. “Expand” can shift the frame toward distance, broader environments, collective experience, or connections between local and global issues.
The brief also points to perception, scale, human subjects, places, objects, ideas, and experiences. A photographer may explore one aspect or both, provided the work responds to the overall theme. This flexibility can accommodate observational approaches as well as work associated with a fine art photography competition.
Dates and Entry Fees
The Focus/Expand by Solas / Shadow has a single submission deadline, followed by an exhibition opening later in the year. No exact October opening day is stated.
| Submission deadline | August 15, 2026 |
|---|---|
| Exhibition start | October 2026 |
Entry Fees:
- Submission fee: Free
- Participation fee if selected:
- £16 for one selected image
- £22 for two or more selected images
The participation charge applies only after selection.
How to Enter
Photographers may send up to five JPG files through a file-transfer service such as Smash, Swiss Transfer, or WeTransfer by email. Each filename should use the photographer’s name followed by a number, for example Ann-Smith1 and Ann-Smith2.
The submission email or transfer message should include the photographer’s full name, location and/or nationality, social media or website links, a short biography of no more than a couple of sentences, and image titles where applicable. Entrants must be at least 18 years old, and submissions are accepted from photographers worldwide.
Why Enter Focus/Expand by Solas / Shadow?
The Focus/Expand by Solas / Shadow is structured around a clear idea rather than a narrow visual genre. That gives photographers scope to connect small details with wider contexts, or to examine how perspective changes the meaning of a person, place, object, or experience. The online exhibition, catalogue inclusion, social media features, and YouTube presentation create several forms of public display from one selection.
As a free to enter photo contest at the submission stage, it allows work to be considered without an upfront fee, although selected artists should account for the participation charge. Photographers reviewing Deartline’s best photography contests to enter can also place this call within the wider field of themed, internationally accessible exhibition opportunities.
Rules and Copyright
Artists retain the copyright to their submitted work. By entering, each photographer confirms that the images are original, that they are the sole creator and rights holder, and that the work does not infringe copyright, trademark, privacy, or other third-party rights.
Rules
Submission does not guarantee exhibition inclusion. The gallery’s curatorial team may select all, some, or none of the submitted images, and its decisions are final. Images may also be rejected if they do not meet technical or quality standards. Prohibited material includes illegal, defamatory, obscene, discriminatory, infringing, abusive, or harmful content, as well as files containing malware or harmful code. Content that breaches these conditions may be rejected or removed after publication.
Copyright and Image Usage
Submitting images grants Solas / Shadow a non-exclusive licence to display, promote, resize, and format accepted work for the exhibition and related online presentation. Images may be used on the gallery website, in online galleries, on social media, in promotional materials, newsletters, press announcements, digital publications, and communications connected to the exhibition or future gallery activities. The gallery does not claim ownership of high-resolution files and states that it will not sell or commercially exploit an artist’s work without explicit permission. Displayed work is credited to the photographer. The terms are governed by United Kingdom law.
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For more information and to participate in the contest, visit: the official website.
