DEADLINE: 23rd FEBRUARY 2024
SUBMISSIONS: EARLY BIRD €23 (est £19) / STANDARD €29 (est £25)
The theme for the 2024 Open Submission has been left open, therefore removing any restrictions in regards to theme, concept or approach of a photographer’s/artist’s work.
Damarice Amao - Curator of Photography (Centre Pompidou, Paris, France)
Mirjam Kooiman - Curator (Foam, Amsterdam, Netherlands)
Irene Lombardo - Cultural Project Manager (Magnum Photos, Paris, France)
Jessica Baxter - Assistant Curator (TATE Modern, London, UK)
Meaghan Looram - Director of Photography (The New York Times, New York, USA)
Brendan McCleary - Curator (PHOTO 2024 International Festival of Photography, Australia)
Michael Famighetti - Editor (Aperture Magazine, New York, U.S.A)
Michael Weir - Director: Belfast Photo Festival, Belfast (U.K. / Ireland)
For more information on the Jury members, visit:www.belfastphotofestival.com
Entry is open to all photographers, artists, curators, archives, collectives from anywhere in the world. The Jury will be looking for high quality work.
Submissions must be photographic or lens based but can include incorporations of other art forms with the photographic medium (i.e. performance, painting, sculpture, film, music, literature etc)
The Jury will consider photographs, photo-media, performance, photo-films, photo-books, new media, archives and sculptural forms. All works must be practical within the Festival guidelines and dates. If you have the information, please include install images as part of your submission (within 15 images)
Applicants must be Age 16+
Each project submission through the Open Submission can include up to 15 images (collectives 15) AND/OR submit a Photo-book using a link to a single .PDF file (stored on for example: Google Drive or Dropbox). Submissions can be considered as a sequence or individually. A non-refundable fee of €23 / €29 is payable on submission.
Entrants are welcome to make more than one application but the non-refundable €23 / €29 will be payable for each application.
Payments are paid through Picter via Stripe
If you are unable to make payments via Stripe, please contact: info@belfastphotofestival.com
The submission contribution charged is in aid of Belfast Photo Festival 2024. Belfast Photo Festival is a non-profit charitable organization. Registered charity number: NIC102819
This year Belfast Photo Festival has teamed up with Picter to offer an online platform for submissions. Applications can be made by visiting the Belfast Photo Festival Open Submission page on the Picter website. Please follow all the instructions to successfully submit your work.
The Open Submission Exhibition will be presented at the Festival Photo Park in the heart of Belfast City and the center of the Queens Quarter.
The final selection of artists will be made in collaboration between the Jury and the Festival Curator. There will be between 20 – 40 selected artists, depending on project proposals, image and photo-book sizes/numbers etc.
Successful entrants will be selected and notified by e-mail in late March / early April 2024 with information regarding what to do next. The decision on successful entrants is final.
Unfortunately we cannot contact all unsuccessful candidates directly
A list of selected applications and awardees will be published on the Belfast Photo Festival and Picter websites in April 2024.
The method of production and display of each photographer’s work is at the discretion of the Belfast Photo Festival.
Produce your photographic work and provide exhibition exposure at the Festival's main city centre gallery
Exhibit your photographic work at the 2025 Photo Schweiz (Zurich, Switzerland)
Provide inclusion in the special Festival issue of Abridged Magazine
Offer longer term Festival representation and promotion
Offer exhibition alongside some of the biggest photographic names as part of the major photographic event
Provide publication and inclusion in the Festival programme
Offer a dedicated page on the Festival website
Offer inclusion in the Festivals international marketing and major PR campaign which has an estimated reach of 30+ million people.
Be seen by over 40,000 people, including a substantial number of visual arts professionals and the media
Spotlight Award - £2,000 (est $2,712 / €2,321)
Aesthetica Editorial Award - Full editorial presentation in an upcoming printed / digital issue of Aesthetica international art and culture magazine
One Years Free RPS Membership - Free membership for one year to the prestigious Royal Photographic Society
Abridged Editorial Award - Presentation in a special Festival issue of Abridged Magazine
BELFAST PHOTO FESTIVAL AIMS TO PROTECT THE IMAGE RIGHTS OF PHOTOGRAPHERS
These terms and conditions of use constitute an agreement between you ("the applicant") and Belfast Photo Festival ("the Festival", "we" OR "our")
READ THIS AGREEMENT IN ITS ENTIRETY BEFORE YOU CONTINUE TO YOUR SUBMISSION OR UPLOAD ANY IMAGE. BY SUBMITTING TO THE OPEN SUBMISSION YOU AGREE TO BE BOUND BY THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF THIS AGREEMENT. IF YOU DO NOT AGREE, DO NOT CONTINUE YOUR SUBMISSION.
All applications must be received by 11:59pm (GMT), 23rd February 2024. Applications received after this time cannot be considered. Selected artists will be contacted by early April 2024. As part of the first stage of a two-stage process, shortlisted artists agreed by the Festival Curator and Board will be announced on the Belfast Photo Festival and Picter websites March/ April 2024. In the second stage, winners, 'selected by the Jury will be announced on the Belfast Photo Festival and Picter websites in March 2024.
The public dates of the Festival are 1st - 30th June 2024. (Festival launch on the 1st June). Some exhibition dates may be longer depending on exhibition venue.
All exhibitions will be installed between 24th May - 1st June 2024, selected works must be available for install during this period (if required).
After the Festival, selected artists must arrange for the collection of their work from Belfast from the 5th July 2024, unless otherwise arranged with the Festival team. This will not be the case for the vast majority of artists and will be discussed as and if relevant.
The installation of the Open Submission Exhibition will be assisted and overseen by the Belfast Photo Festival team with involvement of the artist where relevant. The method of production and display of each photographer's work is at the discretion of the Belfast Photo Festival.
If required and subject to availability of work, the applicant agrees to supply all photo-books selected for exhibition, printed and professionally presented (Photo-books: Bound) ready for display.
The applicant agrees to insure the requested photo-books are suitably packaged and reach the Belfast Photo Festival by 24th May 2024, ready for display (if applicable).
You agree to your selected prints/photo-books being taken on tour with the 2024 Open Submission Exhibition and to supplying high-resolution digital files of the submitted images for the Belfast Photo Festival to produce the photographs for outdoor exhibition/presentation during the festival period.
Entry for a single Project/Body of Work/Photo-book application is subject to a non-refundable fee of €23 or €29 (Early Bird: 10th November - 15th December 2023) to be paid on submission. Entrants are welcome to make more than one application but the non-refundable €23 or €29 will be payable for each application.
The submission fee charged is in aid of the 2024 Belfast Photo Festival and directly contributes to the organisation and delivery of the Festival for the benefit of all participants. Belfast Photo Festival is a non-profit and charitable organisation. Registered charity number: NIC102819
All entries to the Open Submission must be made via our online submission platform produced in collaboration with Picter. All marked fields must be completed as instructed. Payment must be completed or submission will not be accepted.
ENTRANT IMAGE RELEASE(S) FOR PUBLICITY ONLY
For all submissions: If the photograph contains any material or elements that are not owned by the applicant and/or that are subject to the rights of third parties' and/or if any persons appear in the photograph, the applicant is responsible for obtaining any and all releases and consents if necessary to permit the publication, exhibition and use of the photograph.
Submitting photographers agree that they created the Work(s) and/or that they are authorised to use the Work(s) as submitted, co-authors and as relevant original sources should be referenced or credited and that our use of the Work(s) for exhibition and PR will not infringe on third party's copyright or other rights.
All selected entries may be published by Belfast Photo Festival or affiliated Sponsors/Funders and Partners (the "Authorised Parties") in magazines or books, on websites, or in any other medium, at Authorised Parties discretion. Such use will be restricted to promotion, publicity, news, or informational education or awareness usage of Belfast Photo Festival.
By participating, all selected applicants grant Belfast Photo Festival and its Authorised Parties usage of images and acknowledge that any Festival and Authorised Party may use the entries and a name credit in any media before, during and after, without restriction in relation to the uses stated above. The Belfast Photo Festival and Authorised Parties will not be required to pay any additional consideration or seek any additional approval in connection with such use.
Belfast Photo Festival is not responsible for any problems with or technical malfunction of any telephone, computer online systems, servers or providers, computer equipment, software, failure of any online entry to be received on account of technical problems, human errors of any kind, or any combination.
Applicants agree to be bound by these Official Rules;
The decision of the Belfast Photo festival selection panel is final
Belfast Photo Festival may use selected photographs, artist name and photography in any publicity or advertising relating to the Festival or future promotions without compensation or approval.
Entries are void if the Festival determines the entry to not be an original or referenced, or if the entries are illegible, incomplete, damaged, irregular, altered, counterfeit, produced in error or obtained through fraud or theft.
The Festival reserves the right to refuse work for exhibition/presentation if it does not meet the expected quality of production and presentation for the Festival.
In the event that a selected applicant wins any Belfast Photo Festival related prize then is found ineligible or refuses the prize, the prize will be forfeited and the Organisers may choose whether to award the prize to another entrant.
The Festival reserves the right to amend or extend the submission deadline at their sole discretion. Should this be the case, details will be posted via the Festival and Picter website.
Belfast Photo Festival reserves the right to cancel scheduled exhibitions or events if the application, in any way, is perceived to have brought the Festival into disrepute. If for any reason the selected applicant is not capable of exhibiting as planned, they should wherever possible give Belfast Photo Festival at least 2 months’ notice prior to the Festival launch in June 2024.
At no point does Belfast Photo Festival require artists to sign over the copyright of their work and therefore artists obtain all copyrights to their work at all times. However, by submitting their works the artist agrees that Belfast Photo Festival and it’s affiliated Sponsors/Funders and Partners can use their works in magazines or books, on websites, social media platforms and Belfast Photo Festival newsletters, or in any other medium, at Authorised Parties' discretion. Artists and photographers will be credited for their works.
For any information regarding Picter and Belfast Photo Festival privacy policies and how they are in compliance with GDPR, please see the following links: