About

The Open Call - Encontros da Imagem Photobook Award 2026 is open to national and international artists, photographers and publishers over the age of 18, and applications can be made individually or collectively.

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.

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.

What winners receive

All books sent in and submitted for the competition will be displayed in a group exhibition, which will take place between 18th of September and 1st of November 2026 in Braga, Portugal, as part of the 36th edition of the festival.

All books submitted for the competition will be presented and announced on the festival’s website and across its various communication channels, along with their authorship.

The jury will evaluate all books and award prizes in the following categories:

• Best Published Award for authors of published photography books, with the winning author receiving a cash prize of € 1.000 (one thousand euros).
• Best Dummy Award for handmade / DIY models of photography books, with the winning author receiving a cash prize of € 1.000 (one thousand euros).

The jury may award up to 2 honourable mentions per category if they deem it necessary.

How to enter

To be eligible for this award, you must register and submit your project via the Picter platform, subject to the following conditions:

• Select a category: Best Published Award and/or Best Dummy Award.
• Each application has a registration fee of € 25
• Each project submitted will correspond to one application
• Each candidate can only apply for a maximum of 3 books, which corresponds to 3 entries/applications per category
• Applications will be open from 20 April to 24 May 2026
• The books submitted in the application must be sent by 15 July 2026
• If your application includes important attachments, such as videos (YouTube, Vimeo, etc.), please include the links in the synopsis

Authors must send their candidate book by 15 July 2026 in order to be considered for the prize. If the book arrives after this date, the packaging must bear the postmark or stamp from before this date. The package should be sent to the following address:

A/C: Carla Bacelar Ferreira / Noora Manty / Sofia Pacheco
Largo da Estação, 40 - Salas 5 e 6
4700-223 Braga
Portugal

Please label the packaging with the message:

“BOOK WITH NO COMMERCIAL VALUE”

If the package is held up at customs, the applicant must take responsibility for the customs clearance costs.

SHIPPINGS OUTSIDE THE EU: If the book is held up at customs, the applicant must take responsibility for the customs clearance costs.

About Encontros da Imagem

Encontros da Imagem, with more than thirty years of existence, is a non-profit cultural association that promotes annually an International Photography and Visual Arts Festival in the city of Braga, Portugal. The festival celebrates classic and contemporary photography and visual arts in general by showcasing emerging and established artists. The festival has developed an eclectic programme. Numerous artists, 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.