BCN-DH International Photo Festival

6th BARCELONA HUMAN RIGHTS AND GLOBAL JUSTICE PHOTOGRAPHY AWARD
The Más Retina Association organizes and announces the sisth edition of the International Photography Festival on Human Rights and Global Justice in Barcelona. The Festival will consist of 10 large-format exhibitions selected from through this open call. These exhibitions will be displayed in public spaces, on the streets of Barcelona-one in each district-from December 1, 2026, to January 10, 2027.

This document provides all necessary information for participation, including categories, eligibility criteria, key dates, and technical requirements.

CALL FOR ENTRIES - TERMS & CONDITIONS

OBJECTIVES

The Festival seeks to shed light on global issues and their root causes using photography as a tool to advance social justice, environmental sustainability, and the exercise of all rights within the framework of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The goal is to generate spaces for reflection and information that promote a critical and engaged citizenry, capable of participating in the debates shaping our times.

TIMELINE - KEY DATES

• Call Opens: June 15, 2026

• Deadline for Submissions: October 9, 2026, at midnight CET

• Jury Decision: October 30, 2026. The jury will deliberate throughout October and will notify the 10 selected projects that will be exhibited at the Festival.

• December 1, 2026: Festival opening and presentation

• Winner Announcement: December 10, 2026

• Exhibition Dates: December 1, 2026 - January 10, 2027

ELIGIBILITY
The call is open to photographers, both professional and amateur, who are over 18 years of age, regardless of nationality. Members and staff of the Más Retina collective are not eligible to participate. A €5 submission fee per project is required and must be paid when uploading the photographs through the PICTER platform.Participants may submit more than one project if they wish.

THEMES & CATEGORIES
Submitted photo projects must address themes related to Human Rights and Global Justice, integrating a gender perspective. Projects aligned with the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda, and those that foster understanding of global development models and the root causes of inequality, will be positively valued. Participants may submit multiple projects but must select the appropriate category for each one.

CONTEST CATEGORIES
Four categories have been established for this competition. Each submitted project must be entered into one of the following categories, which represent different thematic dimensions of human rights and global justice:

Social Justice
Climate Justice
Gender Justice
Economic Justice
Detailed descriptions of each category are provided below.

Category: Social Justice

This category encompasses projects focused on inequalities, discrimination, exclusion, and fundamental rights.

Example topics include:

• Migration, forced displacement, and the right to migrate
• Asylum and refuge
• Borders, migration policies and their human rights impact
• Racism, xenophobia, and cultural diversity
• Human trafficking
• Armed conflict, violence, peace processes, and historical memory
• Stateless peoples
• Indigenous and ethnic communities
• Disability and inclusive health
• Cultural and linguistic rights
• Poverty and social exclusion
• Housing rights, evictions, and urban inclusion
• Children's and youth rights
• Right to education and healthcare
• Global health
• Fair labor, precarity, and just wages
• Labor exploitation, child labor, modern slavery
• Employment discrimination
• Union rights and freedom of association
• Informal economy and inequality
• Institutional violence and abuse of power
• Social movements and community struggles
• Criminalization of protest
• Rights of incarcerated individuals
• Human rights defenders and territorial advocacy

Category: Climate Justice
This category invites submissions of projects that reflect the social and territorial inequalities linked to the ecological and climate crisis, as well as the resistance and alternatives that defend the right to a healthy and just environment.

Example topics include:

• Climate crisis impacts on vulnerable communities
• Natural disasters
• Extractivism: mining, oil, agribusiness
• Deforestation and environmental degradation
• Pollution: air, marine, soil
• Access to water and water rights
• Food sovereignty and agroecology
• Biodiversity loss
• Rights of nature and animals
• Climate-related displacement
• Just energy transition and community participation
• Environmental racism
• Indigenous environmental defenders
• Climate activism
• Corporate responsibility in the Global North
• Sustainable urbanism and green cities
• Circular economy, recycling, and inclusive waste management

Category: Gender Justice

This category invites submissions of works that highlight inequalities, violence and resistance related to gender, as well as the struggles for a more just, inclusive and egalitarian society.

Example topics include:

• Gender-based violence (physical, sexual, economic, institutional)

• Femicide and violence against women and gender minorities

• Antiviolence feminist movements

• Feminist struggles in their multiple expressions

• Discrimination against women and girls

• Patriarchy and power dynamics

• Sexual division of labor

• Feminization of poverty

• Cultural, religious, and sexual diversity

• Domestic and care work

• Sexual and reproductive rights and health

• Forced marriage and child pregnancy

• Motherhood

• Gender identity and sexual orientation discrimination

• Trans, non-binary, and LGBTIQ+ rights

• Community, rural, and Indigenous feminisms

• Political participation of women and minorities

• Gender-inclusive education

• Stories of empowerment

• Trafficking and sexual exploitation

• Feminist movements

• Criminalization of abortion

• Non-hegemonic masculinities and shared caregiving

• Unequal access to land and resources

Category: Economic Justice
This category invites submissions that reflect inequalities in access to resources and economic opportunities, as well as those that highlight struggles and alternatives towards a fairer economic model.

Example topics include:

• North-South economic disparities

• Unequal land distribution and land grabbing

• Local impacts of global economic policies

• Production and consumption models

• Extractive industries and human rights

• Transnational corporations and their practices

• Global trade, finance, and labor relations

• Labor migration and structural causes

• Poverty and inequality reduction

• Exploitation, child labor, modern slavery

• Domestic work and the care economy

• Technological gaps and the future of work

• Responsible production and consumption

• Wage gaps and income inequality

• Privatization of essential services

• Solidarity, social, and feminist economies

• Food sovereignty

• Fair trade

• Ecological, locally-rooted economies

• Informal work, precarity, and decent labor

CATEGORY SELECTION

Each participant must choose a single category when submitting their work, and the project must be directly related to the chosen theme. We understand that some themes may fit into more than one category. The same applies to themes that may be relevant across all four four categories of the contest. In certain cases, the organization reserves the right to change the assigned category if they deem it necessary. If you have any questions about which category to submit your project to, feel free to contact us at: masretinaphoto@gmail.com

REGISTRATION
Entries must be submitted through the official Picter platform.

Applicants must provide:

• Personal and contact information
• Each participant may submit as many projects as they see fit, as long as they relate to the festival's theme. A category must be selected for each project.
• Photographs must be submitted in digital format, in color or black and white.
• Each project must consist of 15 photographs, and at least 7 of these images must have been taken between January 1, 2025 and the submission deadline
• Select the category under which the project is submitted
• A descriptive synopsis of the theme addressed by the series
• Captions included in the image metadata
• Photographs must be numbered according to their narrative sequence.
• Each image file must be named using the series title followed by the corresponding sequence number (e.g., title_01, title_02).
• Image files must not include any identifying information of the participant, either on the image or in the metadata.

PHOTOGRAPHS, FORMATS AND TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS
The minimum size and resolution required for images uploaded to the PICTER platform shall be 1,500 pixels on the longest side and 72 ppi (dpi).

Image manipulation: Significant alterations of the images are prohibited. The original structure of the digital image may only be modified using traditional darkroom techniques such as adjustments to brightness, contrast, and color, as well dodging an burning (overexposure, or underexposure). No other modifications to the original digital image will be permitted.

Only single-frame photographs will be accepted. Photomontages will be disqualified. In case of doubt, the raw file may be requested for verification.Images created or modified using artificial intelligence are not permitted.

Should there be any doubt regarding possible digital manipulation beyond what is allowed under these Rules, the organizers reserve the right to request the original, unedited image file as recorded by the camera, or, where applicable, an untreated scan, negative, or transparency.

Digital manipulation and Photoshop effects of any kind are not permitted. Only basic color corrections that do not alter the content of the image will be accepted.

For printing purposes, selected participants will be required to provide image files at the highest available quality.

At least seven of the fifteen photographs in each submitted project must have been taken during 2025 and/or 2026.

Photographs may have been previously published or unpublished.

SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS
All instructions provided on the Picter platform must be followed.

SUBMISSION DEADLINE
The final deadline for submitting works is October 9, 2026, at 24:00 (Spain time).

PRIZES
The ten projects selected by the jury will:

• Be exhibited during the Festival in public spaces throughout Barcelona.
• Be featured in the 2026 Festival Catalogue.
• Be included in the Festival Magazine.

Main Award
A cash prize of €3,000 will be awarded to the best project among the ten selected projects. The winning project will be chosen from among the winners of each category and will be designated both Festival Winner and Category Winner.

Category Awards
Three additional cash prizes of €400 each will be awarded to the best project in each of the remaining three categories, excluding the category to which the overall Festival Winner belongs.

Prize payments will be made directly to the authors of the winning projects. All prizes are subject to any applicable taxes, withholdings, or fiscal obligations in accordance with the tax regulations applicable to the nationality and/or tax residence of each recipient.

JURY
Before the submission period begins, Más Retina will appoint the jury, composed of photography professionals specializing in human rights and people involved in humanitarian and cooperation work. The jury's decision will be made by a simple majority and will be final. The organization reserves the right to make decisions regarding any issues not covered in these rules.

SELECTION OF FINALISTS
The jury will select 10 finalist projects from all submissions. These will be exhibited during the festival, and one will be chosen as the winner.

Selection criteria:

• The two best projects from each of the four categories (gender justice, economic justice, social justice, and climate justice) will be selected-8 projects total.
• The jury will evaluate the third-place entries from each category and select the two highest-rated to complete the total of 10 finalists.

This process ensures that each category is represented by at least two projects, while the remaining two finalist places are awarded at the Jury's discretion to the most outstanding third-ranked entries.

The organizers reserve the right to use the selected and winning images for the promotion of the Festival, including but not limited to the Festival Catalogue, printed and digital communications, social media channels, newsletters, and press materials. In all cases, authorship will be duly credited.

The production costs of the exhibitions will be covered by the Festival, subject to the available budget.

The Festival organizers reserve the right to exhibit a smaller number of images than originally submitted if space limitations arise at any of the designated exhibition venues.

The organizers undertake to respect the moral rights of the authors as recognized under applicable intellectual property legislation and reserve the right to make modifications to the proposed schedule whenever such changes contribute to the successful development of the Festival.

ACCEPTANCE OF THE RULES

Participation in the Barcelona International Photography Festival on Human Rights and Global Justice implies full acceptance of these Rules and Regulations, the decisions of the Jury, and the explicit waiver of any subsequent claim or appeal.

Más Retina reserves the right to postpone, shorten, extend, amend, suspend, or cancel the competition if circumstances so require, without incurring any liability. Any such changes will be duly communicated through appropriate channels.

Once a project has been submitted, participants may not modify, withdraw, or renounce their entry.

COPYRIGHT AND IMAGE OWNERSHIP

Participants declare and warrant that the submitted works are original and that they are the sole and legitimate holders of all rights associated with the works, without limitation.

Participants are solely responsible for ensuring that the submitted works do not infringe any third-party rights, including copyright, related rights, or image rights, and shall bear full responsibility for any claims arising from the submitted material.

The organization may freely use the images submitted to the competition for the dissemination of communication actions related to the prize or to the themes to which the photographs refer, including publication in the digital and printed magazine of the Festival, always citing the author.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, Más Retina acknowledges that authors shall retain full ownership of the copyright in their photographs.

Authors shall also be solely responsible for any copyright-related claims brought by collecting societies, rights management organizations, agencies, or other third parties acting on their behalf.

THIRD-PARTY RIGHTS

Participants are responsible for complying with all applicable laws and regulations relating to intellectual property rights, image rights, privacy rights, and any other rights that may apply to the submitted works.

Participants shall bear full responsibility for any claims arising from the infringement of such rights and shall indemnify and hold harmless Más Retina against any financial liabilities, damages, costs, or expenses resulting from disputes or claims related to the submitted works.

Participants further release Más Retina from any liability arising from unauthorized, unlawful, or improper use of the images by third parties.

DISCLAIMER OF LIABILITY

Participants warrant that any person whose image appears in a submitted photograph has provided their express and informed consent to the capture of their image and to its reproduction, distribution, public communication, and use within the framework of this competition and the Festival.

Where a submitted photograph depicts a minor, participants warrant that they have obtained the express and informed consent of the minor's parent(s) or legal guardian(s) for the capture and use of the minor's image, including its reproduction, distribution, public communication, and use within the framework of this competition and the Festival.

Participants shall hold Más Retina harmless from any liability, claim, or legal action arising from a breach of the obligations set out in this section.

IMAGE USAGE RIGHTS
Participation in the competition implies acceptance of these rules and authorisation for Más Retina to use the submitted works within the framework of the Barcelona Human Rights and Global Justice Photography Festival and through the communication channels linked to it.

Authors shall retain ownership and intellectual property rights over their works at all times. However, participants grant Más Retina, on a non-exclusive, royalty-free and worldwide basis, the rights of reproduction, distribution, public communication and transformation of the submitted works, exclusively for purposes related to the promotion, dissemination, documentation, historical archiving and development of the festival's activities, as well as its future editions and activities and dissemination materials directly linked to it.

This authorisation includes:

• The right of reproduction, solely for the purpose of enabling Más Retina to use the images submitted to the festival in any communication, promotional or dissemination material related to the festival, whether in physical or digital format, including, among others, the catalogue, festival magazine, exhibitions, brochures, posters, educational materials, reports, organisers' and Festival websites, social media, press releases and other communication media.
• The right of distribution, for the purpose of disseminating such publications and materials to the public, as well as accompanying articles, reports or informational content related to the festival, always acknowledging the authorship of the images.
• The right of public communication, including public exhibition and making available to the public, for the purpose of displaying selected and awarded works, as well as allowing access to them through websites, digital platforms or other communication channels linked to the festival.
• The right of transformation, limited to the technical adaptations necessary for the reproduction, publication, dissemination or adaptation of the works to different formats, media or communication channels, while always respecting the integrity and meaning of the work.

Más Retina undertakes to acknowledge the authorship of the works whenever possible and where the nature of the medium allows.

Likewise, authors authorise Más Retina to transfer these rights to collaborating entities or third-party organisations linked to educational, cultural or social projects whenever this is necessary for the development, dissemination, documentation or historical archiving of the festival and its related activities, under the same terms set out in these rules.

This authorisation shall remain valid for the maximum period of legal copyright protection and, in any event, for as long as Más Retina maintains accessible archival, documentary or historical dissemination materials related to the festival, its activities, its dissemination materials and its successive editions.

This licence shall not give rise to any financial compensation, without prejudice to any prizes that may be established in the competition.

Any use of the works beyond the purposes provided for in these rules, in particular their exhibition or exploitation in projects, exhibitions or activities independent of the Barcelona Human Rights and Global Justice Photography Festival, shall require a new authorisation from the author, which may be agreed under such conditions as the parties deem appropriate.

Participants undertake to formalise any document reasonably necessary to make effective the authorisation and transfer of rights provided for in these rules.

IMAGE CREDITS

Más Retina is committed to respecting copyright and authorship rights and will therefore ensure that the name of the photographer is credited whenever a photograph is used.

Should any credit be omitted inadvertently, the error will be corrected as soon as reasonably possible after notification.

EXHIBITION AND FUTURE DISPLAY OF FINALIST PROJECTS

All finalist projects will be exhibited, at a minimum, from December 1, 2026, to January 10, 2027, in Barcelona, in the public spaces designated by the District Councils and collaborating organizations.

Finalist projects may also be included in travelling exhibitions, educational activities, awareness-raising initiatives, or cultural outreach programs directly related to the BCN-DH International Photo Festival and its objectives, provided that proper credit is given to the author at all times.

Any use, exhibition, transfer or licensing of the works that exceeds the scope of the Festival's own activities, its associated programs or its communication and dissemination actions will require the prior and express authorization of the authors or their legal representatives, through a specific agreement between the parties.

Más Retina undertakes not to transfer copies of the projects to third parties or authorize uses unrelated to the Festival without the express consent of the author(s) or their legal representative(s).

Participation in this call for entries does not imply any exclusive transfer of rights. Authors shall retain full ownership of all intellectual property rights in their works and grant only those permissions expressly contemplated in these Rules and Regulations.

PERSONAL DATA PROTECTION

In accordance with applicable data protection legislation, including Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (General Data Protection Regulation - GDPR) and Organic Law 3/2018 on Personal Data Protection and Guarantee of Digital Right. Más Retina informs participants that the personal data provided as part of their application, including email addresses, will be processed for the purposes of administering the competition, verifying compliance with the eligibility requirements established in these Rules and Regulations, and contacting participants in relation to the competition, including notification of awards and finalist selections.

Participants may exercise their rights of access, rectification, erasure, objection, restriction of processing, data portability, and the right not to be subject to automated individual decision-making by contacting the data controller at:

masretinaphoto@gmail.com

CONTACT INFORMATION

For further information, please contact the organizers at:

masretinaphoto@gmail.com

Applications must be submitted through the PICTER platform.

Submission link:
https://site.picter.com/bcndh-2026