Prix Photoforum 2026

Selected artists will exhibit in Biel/Bienne, receive CHF 500 for production/transport, and will attend the Portfolio Day. Among them, one will be awarded CHF 5,000.

Overview

Running since 1993, the Prix Photoforum Open Call is a well established photo award. They are looking for photographers and artists who explore the possibilities of the medium and have already developed a distinctive approach to their practice.

Photo Forum aims to bring together diverse voices and put dialogue at the center. That means looking at how photography, audiences, artists, and the world around us all interact. They try to foster a more thoughtful relationship with images, and develop a wide range of programs to do that — for people of all ages.

Practical Info

Applicants must fill out the online registration form and submit a complete dossier. This dossier must include up to 15 images that visually detail the submitted work, a exhibition layout proposal for the project (designed for a maximum wall length of 5 meters), a CV, and either proof of payment for the registration fee or a valid Photoforum Pasquart Association membership. The participation fee is CHF 65 for regular applicants, CHF 35 for students and apprentices, and free for members of the association.

Selected artists will present their works in a group exhibition in December 2026 in the heart of Biel/Bienne, will receive a contribution of CHF 500 towards covering transport and production costs and will attend the Portfolio Day to discuss their work and connect with experts and other artists. Plus, the Prix Photoforum consists of a CHF 5,000 prize.

Between 10 and 15 artists will be selected by a jury composed of Olivia Fahmy (Fondation Gandur pour l'Art & Centre Culturel Afropea), Margherita Guerra (Fotofestival Lenzburg), Gregor Huber (Edition Hors-Sujet), Sophie Huguenot (Fotografin), and Amelie Schüle (Photoforum).

About Photoforum Pasquart

The Photoforum Pasquart is one of the main institutions dedicated to photography in Switzerland. Located in the heart of Switzerland, it occupies the first floor of the Pasquart, Biel’s contemporary culture centre, alongside the Art Centre and its collection, the Filmpodium, the Kunstverein and espace libre. It is also the main partner of the Biel/Bienne Festival of Photography, a yearly annual festival that invests its exhibition spaces in the spring and for every installment of which it proposes and produces a special project.

Dedicated to Swiss and international emerging photography, the Photoforum occupies a unique place in the Swiss photography scene and is an important platform for young and mid-career photographers. It organises between five and seven exhibitions a year, group exhibitions alongside monographs which are sometimes the first of an artist. It thus aims to provide important opportunities for photographers at key moments in their career. It offers its local and national public the opportunity to discover artists, and offers insights into current issues and trends in contemporary photography.