PHOTO 2026 Open Call

Selected artists will be exhibited during PHOTO 2026 International Festival of Photography taking place in Melbourne and cities across regional Victoria in March 2026.

Overview

PHOTO Australia is inviting emerging, mid-career and established artists and photographers from any country to participate in PHOTO 2026 International Festival of Photography and have their work presented as part of the official program from 6 to 29 March 2026. Applications must respond to this edition's theme, Show Me Love.

The festival will explore and interpret the multifaceted nature of love and its absence as a lens through which to look at the world. As we navigate an ever-changing global landscape, Show Me Love seeks to uncover the profound impacts of love, or the lack thereof, on individuals, communities, and societies at large. Love, in its many forms, can be a powerful force for connection, healing, and transformation. Conversely, the absence of love can highlight the gaps, inequalities, and divisions that exist within our societies. This theme provides a framework for artists to express their personal narratives, cultural critiques, and visionary perspectives.

The theme Show Me Love is a basis from which to explore broad social issues and concerns; both light and dark, and woven through with pain and bliss, obsession and desire, passion and compassion. PHOTO 2026 invites a deep dive into love in all its forms, and into where it is lacking, to inspire, challenge, and move audiences.

Practical Info

Proposals are invited from anyone including emerging, mid-career and established artists and photographers worldwide, for projects that respond to the festival theme. Individuals and collectives are welcome to apply. Fees are waived for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists and photographers, and Australian welfare recipients.

Selected applicants will receive an artist fee and have their work presented at PHOTO 2026 International Festival of Photography as an outdoor display. Exhibited on building facades or freestanding frames, PHOTO 2026 will transform Melbourne's streets, laneways and parks into an outdoor gallery of inspiring photography, alongside exhibitions curated by museums and galleries.

The jury is composed of Lucy Gallun (Curator, Department of Photography, The Museum of Modern Art, New York), Clare Grafik (Head of Exhibitions, The Photographers’ Gallery, London), Varun Gupta (Director, Chennai Photo Biennale), Shaune Lakin (Senior Curator, Photography, National Gallery of Australia, Canberra), Brendan McCleary (Curator, PHOTO Australia), Clothilde Morette (Artistic Director, MEP-Maison Européenne de la Photographie, Paris), Sophia Sambono (Associate Curator, Indigenous Australian Art, Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art, Brisbane), and Mark Sealy (Executive Director of Autograph and Professor, Photography, Rights and Representation at University Arts London - London College of Communication. Artistic Director Hamburg Photography Triennial 2026).

About PHOTO Australia

PHOTO Australia is a champion of Australian photographic arts on the world stage. Every two years they produce PHOTO International Festival of Photography, a global celebration of the artform in Naarm/Melbourne – Australia's capital of photography – and cities across Victoria. Presented in collaboration with museums and galleries, the festival presents a free trail of exhibitions and ambitious outdoor artworks that activate public spaces, alongside events, film screenings, tours and more.

PHOTO Australia plays a vital role in commissioning, publishing, and mentoring artists, while also strengthening the sector through networking, events, and professional programs. By forming strategic international partnerships, they create opportunities for Australian artists to connect with global audiences and showcase inspiring international artists in Australia. Dedicated to bringing new photography, art and ideas to audiences in engaging ways, they are continually pushing the boundaries of photography and its ability to inform, provoke and inspire.