Encontros da Imagem Discovery Award 2024

The finalists will be able to see their works exhibited in Encontros da Imagem 2024, also having the chance to be a part of the yearly publication.

Overview

Encontros da Imagem returns to Braga this year between September 20th and November 3rd, with a new concept and an approach that looks forward while using the past as guidance. With exhibitions also in the cities of Porto, Guimarães, and Barcelos, they hope to democratize photography for its fruition and creation - and to hear both the individual and collective experience.

For its 34th edition, the festival would like to present different trends in contemporary photography. Highlight its democracy and richness in its different approaches. Therefore, all projects are welcome: from documentary typology works to others that explore the limits of photographic construction. This year the theme is Colonialism, where numerous artists emerging and established, 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.

Practical Info

All projects that are lens-based are eligible (photography, video, installation, mixed media). The submitted projects don’t have any theme, but should have a consistent narrative and have been developed after 2022. Each project should have between 15 and 20 images (except video).

The jury will select the top 5 projects that will be invited to exhibit their work in the 34th edition of the festival next autumn in Braga, Portugal. Among these, the jury composed of Elina Heikka (Art historian, Freelance Curator and Writer), Vítor Nieves (Curator, Teacher, Researcher and Editor) and Paulo Cacais (Curator and Artistic Director of Album, Festival of Image and Contemporary Photography) will choose a winner who will receive a prize of €1,000. In addition to the 5 projects selected for exhibition, there will also be 15 selected to be part of a video projection that will be part of this edition of the festival.

The production costs of the selected works for the exhibition will be covered in total by the organization of the festival. All decisions concerning the production of the exhibition (prints, frames, layouts, assembly, and so on) will be made by the curator and the artist. The artists will have images of their work reproduced in the catalog of the festival, and they will receive a copy of it. Besides covering the total costs of the production of the exhibition, the organization covers two nights of accommodation in Braga on the opening weekend of the festival from the 20th to the 22nd of September, 2024.

About Encontros da Imagem

Encontros da Imagem, with more than thirty-five 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.