About 

With its unique structure in Europe, the C/O Berlin Talent Award honors both artistic and theoretical practice, presented annually in the categories Artist and Theorist. Established in 2006, the award has introduced more than 90 emerging artistic and scholarly talents to a wide audience and will have its 20th anniversary in 2026 – an occasion to update C/O Berlin's supporting program for emerging talents with annually changing themes. Since 2020, the award has been made possible by the Alexander Tutsek-Stiftung.

Winning the Award 

Winning the C/O Berlin Talent Award in the Artist category includes a solo exhibition at C/O Berlin and an accompanying publication published by Spector Books. The publication features an essay by the winner of the Theorist category, which explores the artistic project from a scholarly perspective. Both awardees receive a prize of €5,000. The award provides international visibility and fosters an exchange between photography artists and theorists.

Theme

The theme of the C/O Berlin Talent Award 2026 is Body Politics – a term describing the interplay of power, institutions, and discourses that shape and control bodies, or make them (in)visible. In a time marked by multiple overlapping crises, the body resurfaces as a site of resistance, identity, and memory. What role do photography and lens-based media play in making these tensions visible and open to reflection? This year's theme invites applicants to explore the body as a political field, an archive of experience, or a medium at the intersection of the individual and society.

Eligibility

Are you an emerging photographer aged between 18 and 35? Does your project engage with this year's theme and work with photography or lens-based media? Then apply with a body of work that has not yet been presented as a solo exhibition in a major institution in Europe or published as a monograph.

Application and Selection Process

The award recipient in the Artist category will be selected by a professional jury in spring 2026. Please submit your application online via Picter between January 5–26, 2026 (12:00 CET). Please note that all application materials must be submitted in English to be reviewed by our international jury.