By clicking "Start Submission", you agree to be contacted by the host regarding this opportunity.
By clicking "Start Submission", you agree to be contacted by the host regarding this opportunity.
German Version
This open call is aimed at museums, exhibition centers, galleries, cultural institutes, academies and colleges, libraries, archives, artist studios, off spaces, and project initiatives in the area of photography. The main theme of FOTO WIEN 2025 is dynamic futures. Program partners of FOTO WIEN 2025 can also choose a focus of their own that differs from the main theme.
About
FOTO WIEN is not only Austria's largest biennial photography festival; it is also a unique event that transforms the entire city of Vienna into a pulsating platform for photographic images. Over one hundred program partners from the most diverse areas – including renowned museums, exhibition centers, galleries, cultural institutions, colleges and academies, libraries, archives, artist studios, off spaces, and innovative project initiatives – come together every two years to celebrate all facets of photography.
At the heart of this festival is the vision of interconnecting Austrian and international artists, media professionals, and people from the cultural sector and promoting lively cultural exchange. It simultaneously gives a broad audience the unusual opportunity to actively participate in the art and cultural scenes – whether it be through intriguing exhibitions, interactive events, or exciting educational offerings. For the second time, FOTO WIEN is being organized by FOTO ARSENAL WIEN, a leading exhibition center for photography and lens-based media.
Vienna-based photographers and photography professionals are cordially invited to apply to participate with a photography exhibition (including special events) or an event. We look forward to making a significant contribution to the dialogue of photography and presenting the diversity of the medium throughout Vienna with our program partners.
FOTO WIEN 2025: dynamic futures
Photographs have always played a key role in representing and speculating about the future—from the first views of the moon to X-rays and microphotography. Today we are experiencing a radical transformation in the way that images are created. Artificial intelligence has the ability not only to change existing photographs but also to create totally new, realistic worlds in which the boundaries between science, technology, and speculative fiction are blurred in a way that was once only imaginable in science fiction.
In 2025 FOTO WIEN focuses on speculative future scenarios under the banner of dynamic futures to address the impact of technological and scientific progress on society through the lens of photography. What visions of the future are revealed in historical and contemporary images of science and art? How do photographs and post-digital technologies influence the way we imagine our future? What ethical and sociopolitical issues are highlighted by digital and algorithmic images, especially in terms of topics such as technocolonialism, resource distribution, and the power of tech giants?
FOTO WIEN 2025 begins with OPENING DAYS and offers a rich program consisting of panels, artist talks, and workshops in October. The festival is conceived as an art event as well as a transdisciplinary testing ground that explores the interface between art, science, and technology. FOTO WIEN 2025 examines the role of photography as a window to the future—also beyond a purely human perspective.
What winners receive
Winners are granted permission to participate in the exhibition and event program of FOTO WIEN 2025.
About FOTO ARSENAL WIEN
FOTO ARSENAL WIEN is Austria’s new center of photographic images and lens-based media. FOTO ARSENAL WIEN is part of Stadt Wien Kunst GmbH.
How to enter
Exhibition projects and special events (performances, book presentations, talks, special guided tours, and tours in storage facilities) that address the broad spectrum of photographic images can be submitted. The source material does not necessarily have to be artistic; it can also come from the area of scientific photography or from historical archives.
The primary requirement is that participants must have their own exhibition venue or event location in Vienna that is already fixed at the time of application.
Judging criteria
The projects are selected by a jury consisting of individuals involved in art and culture as well as the artistic director of FOTO ARSENAL WIEN. All selection processes are confidential.