OPEN CALL 2026
PHOTO FESTIVAL
OPEN NOMINATION
deadline - May 1, 2026 (23:59 CET)
PhotoArtDoc is now accepting entries from photographers and artists working with photography. We invite authors from all over the world to participate in the contest.
The theme of the 2026 open contest is TRANSFORMATION (nomination “State of Transition”).
We live in a state of continuous shift, where uncertainty has become a fundamental condition. Political and social structures are being reassembled; the boundaries between private and public, personal and collective, truth and fake are shifting. Transformation is no longer an episode—it is the environment in which experience is formed.
Within this dynamic, the individual is forced to constantly adapt. Flexibility becomes a tool for survival, yet simultaneously challenges the stability of identity: where is the line between change and loss? What remains when former foundations lose their strength? And who determines which voices become visible?
Transformation, transition, change – this is the subject of observation and research in PhotoArtDoc 2026. It is work with a state of transition, in which old forms no longer function, and new ones have not yet gained clarity. And at the center of attention is the human being within these processes: their perception, vulnerability, and strategies of adaptation and resistance.
PhotoArtDoc invites photographers and artists working with photography to share their voice within the framework of the proposed theme. The field of interpretation remains open — ranging from personal and bodily experiences to the exploration of social, cultural, and political transformations.
The visual content of the project must be based on photography. Photography is defined as an image created by recording light radiation that has passed through an optical system, subsequently captured on a light-sensitive material or digital sensor. Authors may use montage, collage, multiple exposures, and other image manipulation techniques. In the accompanying text, the author will need to describe the processes and methods used in creating the project.
The winners will be chosen by a competent international jury.
In the first stage, the jury will shortlist up to 10 photo projects.
From the shortlisted projects, winners will be selected and ranked in 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place.
WHAT WINNERS GET
— the winner's photo project (1st place in the open category) will be presented at the exhibition in Vilnius
— photo projects awarded 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place in the open category will be featured in the final PhotoArtDoc 2026 zine
— photo projects awarded 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place in the open category will be featured in the PhotoArtDoc online gallery and on partners' media platforms
ApplicationsFrom April 10, 2026
Deadline: May 1, 2026 (23.59 CET)
ФОТОКОНКУРС
OPEN CALL
OPEN NOMINATION
Applications until May 1, 2026 (23.59 CET)
Number of projects from one author - no more than 2; each project is submitted by a separate application form
Number of photos in one project - from 10 to 15
We accept projects that were created or completed between 2024 and 2026, inclusive
Photos should be uploaded as a single file in a ZIP archive
In addition to photos you should upload: CV of the author, project statement with a description of processes and methods used to create the project
Language of texts: any, with an obligatory translation into English
Technical requirements for photos
All images must be in JPEG format.
The image size on the long side is within 1500 pixels.
JPEG file size - no more than 1 MB, with built-in ICC profile.
AdobeRGB, sRGB or Gamma 2.2 grayscale are recommended. Not CMYK!
File names are in Latin letters and include the author's first and last name.
Image filenames should be accompanied by a sequential number, for example: lastname_N.jpeg.
Shortlisted participants agree to provide high-resolution images for printing.
Contest entries can only be submitted by the author of the photo project.
Copyright holders retain all rights to their work. By entering, participants grant the PhotoArtDoc organizers an unlimited, non-exclusive right to use high-resolution images and open-format works across all media—including social networks, online, and print publications. This applies to the contest, exhibition, annual zine, public archive, and all promotional or educational activities under the auspices of the PhotoArtDoc festival, without compensation.
For all entries, except for award-winning works, copyright holders grant the PhotoArtDoc festival a non-exclusive right to use low-resolution images and open-format entries within a private archive for educational and research purposes, without compensation.
The copyright owners declare and guarantee that the photo projects submitted in the entries do not violate the legislation of any country, and that no third party can have any claims or objections regarding the rights granted to the PhotoArtDoc festival as specified above in the text.
All of the above contest terms and conditions are binding and PhotoArtDoc Festival organizers reserve the right to reject or exclude any entry at their discretion without any obligation to enter into further discussion of decisions .
COMPETITION JURY
Tatyana CHYPSANOVA
A documentary photographer based in Aotearoa, New Zealand. Born in Belarus and of Belarusian, Ukrainian, and Komi heritage, her practice focuses on indigenous rights, migration, and environmental issues.
Tatsiana is a member of Diversify Photo, Women Photograph, and the VII Community, organizations dedicated to championing diversity and excellence within the field. Tatsiana is a recipient of grants from the Pulitzer Center (2023), Wellcome Trust (2020), and Vital Impacts (2026). Her excellence in visual storytelling has been recognized internationally, most recently as a winner of World Press Photo 2025 and PhotoArtDoc 2024.
Regularly collaborates with leading international publications, including The New York Times and New Zealand Geographic.
Michael GRIEVE
Photographer, writer, educator, publisher, and founder/director of Werkstatt: and ArtFotoMode. Based in Berlin and Athens.
He graduated with an MA in Photographic Studies from the University of Westminster in 1997. He has been a freelance photographer commissioned for magazines and publications internationally and represented by Agence VU in Paris. In 2010 he became the deputy editor of 1000 Words Contemporary Photography Magazine.
Today, Michael combines running his own documentary photography school and the Werkstatt: Editions publishing house with expert journalism for the British Journal of Photography. In addition to extensive mentoring and curatorial activities, he remains an active photographer, working on his own documentary series.
Tadas KAZAKEVIČIUS
Lithuanian born documentary and editorial photographer residing in Vilnius, Lithuania. As an author he is mainly focused and interested in its humanistic direction – individuals and their stories as the principal subject of his photography.
His projects «Soon to be Gone» (2014-2018) and «Between Two Shores» (2018-2020) received widespread acclaim and were recognized with awards such as World Press Photo, Leica Oskar Barnack Award, ZEISS, and LensCulture. Tadas's works have been exhibited at major international festivals in France, Switzerland, China, and the UAE, and have been published in the British Journal of Photography. In 2021, his solo exhibition «Soon to be Gone» was held at the National Museum of Lithuania, followed by the release of a photography book of the same name.
The geography of the author's exhibition activities covers countries in Europe, Asia, and North America.
Adam MAZUR
Art critic, art historian, American studies scholar, and curator of numerous group and solo exhibitions of Polish and international artists.
Lectures at the Department of Photography at the Magdalena Abakanowicz University of Arts in Poznań. Author of several fundamental works on the history of the medium, including the book «A Maimed World: Histories of Photography in Central Europe 1838–2018.» As part of the «Photo Club» project (together with Łukasz Gorczyca), he researches the history and current trends of photobook publishing in Poland and Central Europe.
Widely known as the co-founder and longtime editor-in-chief of the leading Polish art magazine Szum, as well as a former curator at the Ujazdowski Castle Centre for Contemporary Art in Warsaw. His expertise and research have significantly contributed to the institutionalization and understanding of contemporary photography within the global art context.
Kateryna RADCHENKO
Curator, photography researcher, and artist. Lives in Ukraine.
Founder of Odesa Photo Days festival and head of the jury panel for the European region of World Press Photo 2023.
Specializes in large-scale research and exhibition projects, collaborating with organizations such as Magnum Photos and Magnum Foundation. The geography of her exhibition activities covers all of Europe, Asia, and North America.
Author of numerous publications in the international press (Fotograf, EIKON, FOAM Magazine, Magenta, TRIGGER, British Journal of Photography, etc.).
In collaboration with the Finnish Museum of Photography wrote the book Images Tells Stories. In 2022 together with Christopher Nunn and Donald Weber published three volumes of The Information Front.
Applications until May 1, 2026 (23.59 CET)
OPEN CALL 2026
PHOTO FESTIVAL
OPEN NOMINATION