Encontros da Imagem Award 2025

Five projects will be selected for individual exhibition during the 35th edition of the festival in Braga, Portugal, and from these, a winner will be chosen for a cash prize of €1,000.

Overview

For the 35th 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 18th of September and 2nd of November, with exhibitions in various cities in the north of Portugal, with the aim of cultivating visual literacy and contributing to the democratisation of photography in its enjoyment and creation.

Practical Info

The award is open to all photographers, professional or amateur, national or international, over the age of 18. Interested artists can participate individually or collectively. AI images may be submitted as long as the use of AI is disclosed in the submission. 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. Submissions must include between 15 and 20 images and a brief synopsis.

The jury will select the 5 best projects for individual exhibition to be presented at the 35th edition of the festival, from 19th of September to 2nd of November 2025, and from these 5, a winner will be chosen for a cash prize of €1,000. The winner will be publicly announced during the festival. In addition to the projects selected for the exhibition, 15 projects will also be chosen for a video projection to be shown during the same period.

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 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 in Braga during the festival's opening weekend, from 19th to 21th of September 2025.

The jury is composed of Barbara Čeferin (Galerija Fotografija), Carla Bacelar Ferreira (Encontros da Imagem), and David Pujado (Curator and Founder of Belgrade Photo Month).

About Encontros da Imagem

Encontros da Imagem, founded in 1987, 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 other visual arts by showcasing emerging and established artists.

Every year Encontros da Imagem promotes an open call for the Encontros da Imagem Award (previously “Discovery Award”), where the finalists have the opportunity to exhibit their work during the festival. Encontros da Imagem organizes 2 other awards; the Portfolio Reviews, which provides photographers an opportunity to show their work to an international jury, and the Photobook Award in recognition of the book format’s significance in the photographic field.

This year, as before, numerous emerging and established artists, both 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.