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Lisbon Street Photo Fest: Open Call 2026 gives street photographers a direct route into the second edition of Lisbon Street Photo Fest, taking place in the Portuguese capital from September 25 to 27, 2026. Rooted in Lisbon and open to the world, the festival brings together exhibitions, talks, photowalks, workshops, portfolio reviews, and a juried open call centered on street photography as a living form of contemporary visual culture.
The call accepts submissions in two categories: Singles and Series. Finalists will have their work exhibited during the festival at the Faculdade de Belas-Artes da Universidade de Lisboa, with all exhibition costs for selected finalists covered by the organization. Winners will receive cash prizes, and all finalists receive a VSCO Pro membership. For photographers browsing the best photography challenges to join, this call combines a focused street photography brief with a physical festival exhibition in Lisbon.
Submissions open on April 2, 2026, and close on May 31, 2026. Entries are open to photographers aged 18 and over from anywhere in the world, with images required to fall within the field of street photography. The Singles category awards three cash prizes, while the Series category awards one winner. A special MPB Award will also recognize one Portugal-based photographer selected from the open call submissions.
Prizes
The Lisbon Street Photo Fest: Open Call 2026 offers cash awards, exhibition opportunities, media visibility, and sponsor recognition. The awards are divided between the Singles and Series competitions, with additional recognition for a Portugal-based photographer.
- Singles Competition:
- 1st Prize: €1,250.
- 2nd Prize: €750.
- 3rd Prize: €500.
- Series Competition:
- Winner: €1,500.
- Finalists: All finalists will have their work exhibited during Lisbon Street Photo Fest 2026 in Lisbon.
- VSCO Pro Membership: All finalists will receive a VSCO Pro membership to support and promote their professional work.
- MPB Award: One Portugal-based photographer, regardless of nationality, will receive a special award presented by MPB. The selected work will be shown at the festival venue during the event weekend and featured through Lisbon Street Photo Fest channels. Full details will be announced later.
- Festival Activity: One or more finalists may be invited to take part in an activity during the 2026 edition of the festival.
The finalist exhibition is a central part of the opportunity. Prints for selected works will be prepared by the organizer and curator, and the costs linked to the selection and exhibition of finalists are covered by Lisbon Street Photo Fest.
Related Photo Contests
Categories or Themes
The open call includes two categories, both focused on street photography and the visual language of public life.
- Singles: Individual street photographs. Each image is judged as an independent entry.
- Series: Cohesive photographic series of 10 to 15 images that tell a story or explore a concept. The full series is reviewed, although not every image from a selected series may be included in the exhibition.
Dates and Entry Fees
The 2026 open call follows a concise schedule, beginning in early April and leading into finalist announcements in July and the festival weekend in September.
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| Submissions open | April 2, 2026 |
| Submission deadline | May 31, 2026 |
| First-round judging | June 1 – July 21, 2026 |
| Finalists announced | First week of July 2026 |
| Festival dates | September 25 – 27, 2026 |
| Winner announcement | September 26, 2026 |
Entry fees:
- Singles: €10 per individual entry.
- Singles discount: For every five paid entries, one additional entry is included at no extra cost.
- Series: €40 per series submission.
- Fee waivers: A limited number may be available for photographers unable to complete payment due to international payment restrictions. Requests must be sent before completing the submission.
How to Enter
All entries must be submitted through the official Picter online submission form. Photographers may enter Singles, Series, or both. The same images may be submitted to both categories, as they are judged separately.
Files must be submitted in JPEG or JPG format and should be at least 1500 pixels on the longest side. Images must also be available at 300 dpi for high-quality printing if selected. Finalists may be asked to provide a TIFF high-resolution file and, if needed, the original RAW or equivalent file for verification.
About the Jury
The first-round jury, responsible for selecting the finalists, consists of Daniel Postaer, Josh Edgoose, Nazile Bolat, Polly Rusyn, and Rui Palha.
Daniel Postaer is an American photographer based in Los Angeles whose work explores time, memory, and contemporary urban life. Josh Edgoose is a UK-based photographer and co-creator of FRAMELINES. Nazile Bolat is based in Ankara and is a founding member of Women in Street Turkey. Polly Rusyn is a London-based street photographer, author, and educator. Rui Palha is a Portuguese street photographer with a long-standing practice focused on people, everyday encounters, and urban life.
A second-round jury will choose the winners from the pool of finalists. This second panel will be announced later.
Why Enter Lisbon Street Photo Fest: Open Call 2026?
The Lisbon Street Photo Fest: Open Call 2026 has a clear place within the festival’s wider program. Finalist work will be shown in Lisbon during a weekend dedicated to street photography, with activities designed around exchange, learning, and public presentation. The setting gives selected images a context beyond an online gallery: they become part of a festival built around the street as a photographic subject and method.
The structure is also notable for separating single images and bodies of work. Photographers working with one strong frame can enter Singles, while those developing a more sustained visual narrative can submit a Series. For those comparing photography challenges and contests, Lisbon Street Photo Fest: Open Call 2026 offers a focused competition with cash prizes, finalist exhibition, sponsor support, and international participation within a festival devoted to street photography.
Rules and Copyright
This section about the rules and image rights of the Lisbon Street Photo Fest: Open Call 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
The open call is open to anyone aged 18 or older, anywhere in the world. Members of the organizing committee, jury members, employees, sponsors, partners, and close family members of these groups are not eligible to participate.
Single images must have been taken on or after January 1, 2024. Series must be ongoing or completed after January 1, 2024, although older photographs may be included within the set. Images that have received a major award, such as a monetary prize or top-three placement in another street photography festival or photography competition before submission, are not eligible to be selected as finalists. Images previously selected as finalists in past editions of Lisbon Street Photo Fest may not be resubmitted.
Digital cameras, analogue cameras, and smartphones are accepted. Analogue images must be digitized before submission. Minor edits, including exposure, contrast, color balance, temperature adjustments, monochrome conversion, and cropping, are allowed when they do not change the integrity of the original scene. Generative AI images, heavily manipulated composites, illustrations, watermarks, signatures, and identifying marks are not accepted.
Judging takes place in two stages. The first jury selects finalists through a blind judging process. A second jury then chooses the winners from the finalist pool. Each photographer may have at most one image selected as a Singles finalist and one series selected as a Series finalist.
Copyright and Image Usage
Photographers retain full copyright of their images. By entering, participants grant Lisbon Street Photo Fest a non-exclusive right to use submitted images for festival promotion, social media, exhibitions, and related marketing materials.
Each participant confirms that they are the sole author and copyright holder of the submitted work, and that the images are original creations. Responsibility for copyright issues, third-party claims, or rights connected to subjects appearing in the photographs rests with the participant.
For more information and to participate in the contest, visit: the official website.
