1. WHO CAN APPLY

The Emergentes Award - Portfolio Reviews is open to anyone who uses photography as a tool for expression, regardless of gender or nationality, and who is over 18 years old. It aims to provide participants with an opportunity to secure an exhibition, a publication, or to have their work assessed by experts in the field.

Only artistic projects based on photographic and video practices will be considered, but with an optional approach and language.

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

2. PRIZE

The winning project from the Portfolio Review 2026 will receive a cash prize of € 3.000 (three thousand euros), a solo exhibition at the 2027 edition of Encontros da Imagem - International Photography and Visual Arts Festival, as well as publication in KATALOG magazine.

In addition to the winning project, 3 Honorable Mentions will be chosen and will be part of a video projection to be presented during the 2027 edition of the festival

3. APPLICATION

All candidates must take the following points into consideration:

• Each applicant can submit a maximum of 3 projects and each submission is considered a single application;
• Each submission must have between 15 and 20 images and include a brief synopsis;
• The assessment of applications is divided into two stages: an initial pre-selection stage via the Picter platform, and a second stage taking place in person in Braga during the festival. The initial registration fee is € 30 and the fee for the second stage is € 80.
• The first phase, the application phase via Picter, will run from 11 May to 7 June 2026.
• The second phase will be held in person on Thursday, 8 and Friday, 9 October 2026, in Braga, Portugal.

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

4. SELECTION

The selection process will have two phases:

1st phase: Applications will be accepted via the Picter platform between 11 May to 7 June 2026.·· At this stage, the entries will be assessed by eight judges, each specialising in different areas of photography, and 32 portfolios will be selected. The selection criteria will be the originality, coherence and conceptual quality of the projects.

The finalists will be contacted individually by the organisation in the second half of June and invited to take part in the second phase of the Open Call.

2nd phase: The registration period runs until 30 June 2026.·· At this stage, finalists may confirm their interest in participating and pay the entry fee. If the finalist does not confirm their interest and payment by the above date, their participation will be considered cancelled.

5. FINALISTS

The 32 artists selected for the 2nd phase will proceed to the Portfolio Reviews, held in person in Braga, Portugal, that will consist of:

• A public presentation of no more than 10 minutes of each project created by the artist.
• The presentations are followed by 10 minute individual assessments with each one of the 8 members of the jury.
• Once the jury has analysed all the projects, it will select a winner. The results will be announced to the public during the festival.

6. IMAGE USE

The images submitted may be used by the festival organisers to promote the Open Call and the festival on social media. The authors of the published works will be credited in the respective publications.

The works selected and produced for the 2027 edition of the festival will become part of the organisation's collection at the end of that edition.

In the future, the festival may use the images produced for exhibitions (solo or collective), within the framework of the festival or in partnership 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.

The author of the works produced will have to sign a Declaration of Agreement and Consent for the use of the images of their project, explained above.

NOTA

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:

emergentes@encontrosdaimagem.com