Portrait/Landscape by Solas / Shadow is an international photography open call built around a clear visual tension: the person and the place. Scheduled as an online exhibition with an August start date, the call looks at two of photography’s most familiar genres not as separate worlds, but as connected ways of working with light, shade, shape, and composition.
The exhibition asks photographers to explore the relationship between portrait and landscape photography however they choose. Some submissions may focus on the intimacy of the human figure, others on the scale and atmosphere of place, while others may bring both together in more ambiguous or conceptual ways. For photographers browsing photography competition opportunities, this call offers a focused theme with a flexible approach rather than a category structure.
Submissions are open to photographers worldwide aged 18 or older, with a deadline of June 21, 2026. There is no submission fee, although selected photographers are asked to pay a participation fee if their work is included in the exhibition. Selected participants will have their images displayed in the online gallery, featured through Solas / Shadow’s digital channels, and included in an exhibition catalogue available in PDF and physical formats.
Prizes
Portrait/Landscape by Solas / Shadow is structured around exhibition participation, gallery visibility, and publication connected to the selected works.
- Selected photographers: Work selected for the exhibition will be displayed in the online gallery on the Solas / Shadow website.
- Digital certificate: Participating photographers will receive a digital certificate of participation.
- Social media feature: Selected work will be featured on the gallery’s social media channels.
- YouTube feature: Participants will also see their work featured on the gallery’s YouTube channel.
- Exhibition catalogue: Selected images will be included in an Exhibition Catalogue, produced in both PDF and physical formats, making this call relevant to photographers interested in publication opportunities as well as online presentation.
The gallery context is also part of the opportunity. Solas / Shadow describes itself as an online international photography gallery focused on thoughtfully curated exhibitions and on creating space for photographers from around the world, including emerging and underrepresented voices.
Related Photo Contests
Categories or Themes
There are no separate contest categories. The open call is centered on the theme Portrait / Landscape, using the polarity between two major photographic genres as the curatorial starting point.
The portrait side of the theme may involve intimacy, character, presence, or human connection. The landscape side may explore place, scale, distance, atmosphere, or the visual language of environment. The call also emphasizes that these genres share core photographic concerns: the capture of light and shade, the exploration of shape, and the use of composition.
Dates and Entry Fees
The key dates for Portrait/Landscape by Solas / Shado are centered on a single submission deadline, followed by the online exhibition period later in the year.
| Key Date | Details |
|---|---|
| Submission deadline | June 21, 2026 |
| Notification | Only selected photographers will be notified |
| Exhibition start date | August 2026 |
There is no fee to submit work to the open call. A participation fee applies only to photographers selected for the exhibition, and the amount depends on the number of images selected.
- Submission fee: No submission fee
- Participation fee for selected photographers: £16 for 1 selected image
- Participation fee for selected photographers: £22 for 2 or more selected images
Each open call allows photographers to submit up to 5 images. The participation fee is requested only after selection, not at the submission stage.
How to Enter
Submissions should be sent by email or file transfer serviceably such as Smash, Swiss Transfer, and WeTransfer as acceptable ways to send image files.
Images must be submitted in JPG format. File names should include the photographer’s name, using a format such as Ann-Smith1 or Ann-Smith2, so the gallery can identify the images correctly. The submission email or message should include the photographer’s name and surname, location and/or nationality, social media and/or website links, a short biography of no more than a couple of sentences, and image titles if applicable.
Why Enter Portrait/Landscape by Solas / Shadow?
This open call may be relevant for photographers who want to place their work within a curated digital exhibition. The theme is broad enough to allow different approaches, but specific enough to give the exhibition a clear visual and conceptual frame. That balance is useful for photographers working with personal identity, place, memory, environment, or the formal relationship between subject and setting.
Solas / Shadow’s platform is international and online, which gives selected photographers a route to show work beyond a local audience. The combination of gallery display, catalogue inclusion, social media presentation, and YouTube feature creates several points of visibility from one selection. For Deartline users comparing current photography competitions, the main appeal here is not a cash award, but a themed exhibition structure connected to an online gallery.
The call also leaves room for interpretation. A photographer may submit a direct portrait, a landscape study, or work that questions where one genre ends and the other begins. That flexibility can suit both completed projects and individual images that respond strongly to the person-place polarity.
Rules and Copyright
This section about the rules and image rights of the Portrait/Landscape by Solas / Shadow 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
Submissions are open to photographers worldwide who are 18 years of age or older. Each photographer may submit up to 5 images per open call. Files must be submitted in JPG format and named using the photographer’s name so the gallery can identify each submission correctly.
There is no submission fee. If selected, photographers will be asked to pay a participation fee based on the number of images included in the exhibition: £16 for 1 image, or £22 for 2 or more images. Only selected photographers will be notified.
Copyright and Image Usage
Artists retain the copyright to their submitted works. By submitting, artists grant the gallery permission to use their images to promote the exhibition, display them on the Solas / Shadow webpage, include them on social media, and use them in advertising, promotional materials, and publications connected to the exhibition.
For more information and to participate in the contest, visit: the official website.
