Copenhagen Photo Festival 2027 Open Call

Selected visual artists will receive a solo exhibition and international exposure at the next edition of the Copenhagen Photo Festival in Denmark.

Overview

Copenhagen Photo Festival is accepting submissions for its 2027 international open call, inviting photographers and lens-based artists to challenge the boundaries of photography and present new perspectives on the festival theme Free Hands (Frie hænder).

The theme explores freedom as both a social and artistic condition. It asks what it means to have the freedom to act and create at a time when democracy is under pressure, technology increasingly shapes our everyday lives, and automated image-making challenges the role of human intention. The festival welcomes projects that engage with questions of agency, responsibility, artistic freedom, and the human touch, encouraging experimentation and new ways of thinking about photography.

Selected artists will exhibit their work as part of Copenhagen Photo Festival 2027, which takes place across central Copenhagen, Denmark, and partner venues in southern Sweden. The festival presents an ambitious programme of exhibitions, talks, workshops, networking events, and a photobook market, bringing together artists, curators, institutions, and audiences from across the international photography community.

Practical Info

Applicants must submit a biography, CV, a project description, and a minimum of 10 images. The submission should explain the exhibition concept, materials, technical requirements, and any previous presentations of the work.

A total of 10 projects will be shortlisted. Following interviews with the curatorial team in autumn 2026, three to five artists will be selected to develop solo exhibitions in collaboration with the festival, while the remaining shortlisted artists will be presented as Selectees through a digital screening.

Solo exhibitors receive a €537 artist fee, €400 travel and accommodation support (for international artists), €134 for food and local transport, exhibition production by the festival, a permanent feature on the CPF website, and promotion across the festival's communication channels. Selectees receive a €200 artist fee, a digital presentation at the festival centre, a permanent feature on the CPF website, and free access to the festival's opening days.

About Copenhagen Photo Festival

Copenhagen Photo Festival is a non-profit organisation and the largest festival for photography in the Nordic countries. The festival has existed since 2010, and today they are also a year-round platform that works to shine light on camera and lens-based art via events, exhibitions, digital formats, and cross-collaborations.  Through their activities, the festival aims to create a community around photography by inspiring, exchanging, and advocating for the relevance of photography in an ever-evolving world.

Each year in June, their endeavors all come together for the 11-day festival celebration of photography with exhibitions, networking activities, talks, parties, and events in their festival center on Refshaleøen as well as with their festival partners across the region.