Fotografia Calabria Festival Award 2026

Selected photographers receive a €2,000 cash prize, a paid publication worth €1,000 in Internazionale magazine, plus exhibition/screening at one of the festival’s forthcoming editions or at related events.

Overview

For the first time in its five-year history, the Fotografia Calabria Festival Award does not set a theme, leaving room for photographers' own creative vision. The festival invites photographers to submit works characterised by strong conceptual coherence and a clear artistic vision. "We are not necessarily looking for the unprecedented, nor for originality at all costs," the organisers state. "Originality may lie in the personal way in which a photographer observes, interprets and renders the reality they depict through the language of photography, the construction of the narrative and the ability to approach familiar subjects or themes from an individual perspective."

The prize recipient receives €2,000 in cash awarded by the festival and paid publication worth €1,000 of a project in Internazionale magazine. These two prizes may be combined or remain separate. The selected photographer also receives an exhibition or screening at one of the festival's forthcoming editions or at related events, and visibility for a period of 12 months. Shortlisted projects will be published in the permanent online gallery on the festival's official website and social media channels.

The jury comprises Rosy Santella (Photo editor of Internazionale), Laura Tota (Independent Curator and Artistic Director of Liquida Photofestival), Laura Davì (Independent Photo Editor and Journalist), Jean-Marie Donat (Editor and Curator), Denis Curti (Artistic Director of Deloitte Photo Grant), and Anna Catalano (Artistic Director of Fotografia Calabria Festival).

Practical Info

Submissions must include 10 to 25 JPEG images in the intended sequence, with dimensions between 1,000 and 2,500 pixels on the long side. Participants must also provide a PDF file with the project statement and, if applicable, image captions following the naming convention and sequential order of the uploaded images (maximum three pages); a PDF file with a brief professional bio and links to social media profiles and website if available (maximum one page); and a portrait photo of the photographer with dimensions between 1,000 and 2,500 pixels on the long side.

About Fotografia Calabria Festival

Fotografia Calabria Festival was born in 2021 as the first widespread festival of photography located in Calabria. Organised and promoted by the Associazione Pensiero Paesaggio, it is conceived as a space in which to reflect on photography as a language of the contemporary era, able to grasp all its changes and transformations, and to highlight various social, cultural and artistic dimensions. The festival has aimed since its inception to involve young and emerging photographers.