WHO CAN APPLY

The Open Call - Encontros da Imagem Award 2026 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 from 1 to 30 April 2026.

Note: The use of Artificial Intelligence tools is permitted but must be mentioned in the application

ABOUT

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.

PRIZE

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.

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 35,00€.
• 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 open call 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 at the time of the opening.

The organisation reserves the right to decide on the exhibition spaces and the opening and running dates of the selected exhibitions.

IMAGE USE

The images may be used by the festival to promote its exhibitions and activities. The authors of the published works will be credited 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