The goal of the call

The goal of this open call is to give participants the opportunity to see their work exhibited at a renowned international photo festival and, consequently, promote their visibility.

For the 36th 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 18 September and 1 November, with the theme Territory and Identity. With exhibitions in different cities in the north of Portugal, the festival aims to foster visual literacy and contribute to the democratisation of photography, both in terms of its appreciation and its creation.

What winners receive

The jury will select the 3 best projects for solo exhibitions, to be presented at the different participating cities in the 36th edition of the festival, from 18 September to 1 November 2026, and from these 3, a winner will be chosen for a cash prize of € 2.000 (two thousand euros).

The winner will be announced publicly during the festival.

In addition to the projects selected for exhibition, 17 projects will also be chosen to form part of a collective video screening, to be presented during the same period.

How to enter

All projects produced on the basis of photographic and video practices are eligible. The submitted projects must have a coherent narrative and must have been developed within the last five years; they do not necessarily need to address the theme. 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 € 35.

The artists assume full responsibility for the authorship of the projects submitted to the competition.

About the organization

Every year Encontros da Imagem promotes an open call for the Encontros da Imagem Award (previously “Discovery Award”), where the finalists have the opportunity to exhibit their work during the festival.

Encontros da Imagem organizes 2 other awards; the Portfolio Reviews, which provides photographers an opportunity to show their work to an international jury, and the Photobook Award in recognition of the book format’s significance in the photographic field.

This year, as before, numerous emerging and established artists, both national and international, will be shown in several public and private spaces (historical and monumental buildings, museums, galleries and others). Encontros da Imagem is a cultural photographic reference in Portugal, and has reached a prominent position in the international panorama, being one of the oldest photography festivals in Europe.