WHO CAN APPLY

The Open Call - Encontros da Imagem Award 2025 is open to all photographers, professional or amateur, national or international, over the age of 18. Interested artists can participate individually or collectively. Applications are open via the Picter platform between 24th of March and 27th of April 2025.

AI images may be submitted as long as the use of AI is disclosed in the submission

ABOUT

For the 35th edition of the Encontros da Imagem festival, the organisation intends to present different proposals for contemporary photography, highlighting the diversity and richness of the different approaches, from documentary projects to those that want to explore the limits of photographic construction. Encontros da Imagem returns between 18th of September and 2nd of November, renewed and with a focus on the future, without neglecting the past as a guide. With exhibitions in different cities in the north of Portugal, they work with the aim of cultivating visual literacy and contributing to the democratisation of photography in its enjoyment and creation.

PRIZE

The jury will select the 5 best projects for individual exhibition to be presented at the 35th edition of the festival, from 19th of September to 2nd of November 2025, and from these 5, a winner will be chosen for a cash prize of €1,000 (one thousand euros). The winner will be publicly announced during the festival. In addition to the projects selected for the exhibition, 15 projects will also be chosen for a video projection to be shown during the same period.

APPLICATION

All projects produced on the basis of photographic and video practices are eligible. The projects submitted are not subject to a theme, but must have a consistent narrative and have been developed within the last five years. Applicants should take the following points into consideration: Each applicant can submit a maximum of 3 projects; Each submission must have between 15 and 20 images and include a brief synopsis; Each submission is considered a single application and each application has an entry fee of 30,00€. The artists assume full responsibility for the authorship of the projects submitted to the competition.

CONDITIONS

The production costs - prints, frames, assembly, etc. - of the projects selected for exhibition will be borne entirely by the festival's organisation and decisions regarding their presentation - materials, layouts, etc - will be made by the curator and the author. The selected projects will be included in the festival catalogue and its communication materials - both physical and digital. The artists selected for the exhibition will also receive a copy of the catalogue and 2 nights accommodation in Braga during the festival's opening weekend, from 19th to 21th of September 2025.

IMAGE USE

The images may be used by the festival to promote its exhibitions and activities. The authors of the published works will be identified in the respective publications. The works selected and produced will become part of the organisation's collection, and in the future it may use the images produced for exhibitions (individual or collective), either within the festival or in partnerships with similar institutions. This will always be communicated to the authors in good time, and whenever possible, the organisation will try to ensure that the artist receives a fee for their participation in these exhibitions. All selected finalists will be required to sign a Declaration of Agreement and Consent for the use of their project's images, as explained above.

NOTE

By registering, you agree to the terms and conditions mentioned above.

Any doubts and/or questions that are not addressed in these regulations should be directed to the festival team via the following email address:

discoveryawards@encontrosdaimagem.com