The Portfolio Parade Award III Edition

MIA Photo Fair BNP Paribas – Fiere di Parma is pleased to confirm the collaboration with Erik Kessels through the launch of a new award for artists, created specifically for the fair.

Overview

For the third consecutive year, renowned Dutch artist, curator, and visual storyteller Erik Kessels returns to MIA Photo Fair BNP Paribas with a dynamic side program dedicated to emerging voices in photography. Through an open call competition that attracts entries from across the globe, Kessels will handpick a broad and eclectic mix of unseen and boundary-pushing photographic portfolios.

These selected works will be featured in a playful, thought-provoking installation that breaks from traditional exhibition formats, inviting visitors to explore photography in new and unexpected ways. The installation will take place during the 2026 edition of the MIA Photo Fair BNP Paribas, offering a compelling reflection on the evolving language of photography today. The exhibition is organized in collaboration with FUJIFILM, as Sponsor of the Award.

With a particular focus on the art and collecting system, The Portfolio Parade highlights the urgency of promoting new visions within an ever-evolving market. All selected portfolios will be showcased with equal visibility, offering artists the opportunity to engage with a broad and qualified audience.

Practical Info

Submissions are open to photographers of all levels and ages, including professionals, emerging artists and students, who may present a project aligning with the theme The Portfolio Parade by Erik Kessels. The works that will be exhibited at BNP Paribas 2026 in Gallery stands or any other kind of exhibitors stands, as well as works previously presented and/or admitted to MIA Photo Fair BNP Paribas editions from 2011 to 2025, are not eligible for participation.

Participants must submit a completed registration form, up to 20 images, accompanied by a brief project description of approximately 250 characters.

Each participant may present only one photographic project, either completed or in an advanced stage of development. Projects may include analog or digital photographs, photographs with digital or manual manipulations or AI-generated images. The project may belong to any photographic genre (portrait, reportage, fine art, street, conceptual, etc.).

The selected artists will have the opportunity to show and promote their works during the fifteenth edition of MIA Photo Fair BNP Paribas, scheduled from 19 to 22 March 2026, with a preview by invitation on 18 March, at SUPERSTUDIOPIÙ, via Tortona 27, Milan, Italy. The exhibition is organized in collaboration with FUJIFILM, Sponsor of the Award.

Erik Kessels, as curator of the show, may determine the number of finalist artists based on quality and exhibition setup considerations. He will propose dimensions and display methods for each artist’s works, with the Organizer handling the printing for exhibition purposes only. Additonally, the Organizer will bear costs for printing the selected works for the exhibition.

MIA Photo Fair BNP Paribas is also pleased to announce that the selected artists will have the opportunity to be chosen for the two additional awards organized by the partners of the award. The first is a publication of the portfolio in the magazine Gente di Fotografia, which will be published in conjunction with the fifteenth edition of MIA Photo Fair BNP Paribas 2026. The artist will be chosen by the Director Franco Carlisi.

Additionally, one of the exhibiting artists will have the opportunity to take part, free of charge, in a residency at the SARP, located within the Etna Park in Sicily, Italy, which is dedicated to programs for emerging, mid-career, and established artists. The selected artist will be chosen by Alfio Puglisi, founder of SARP. The length of the stay will be agreed upon in consultation with the organizers, who will in any case retain full decision-making authority.

About Erik Kessels

Erik Kessels is a Dutch artist, curator and communication designer, with great interest in art and photography. Erik Kessels is since 1996 Creative Partner of communications agency Kessels Kramer.
As an artist and curator Kessels has published over 100 books of his ‘re-appropriated’ imagesand has written the international bestseller Failed It! andComplete Amateur. He has taught at several Art Academies (Amsterdam, Milan, Toronto, Lausanne, Düsseldorf).Kessels made and curated exhibitions such as Loving Your Pictures, Mother Nature, 24HRS in Photos, Album Beauty and Unfinished Father. Currently he’s working on a long-term European art project called Europe Archive. In 2010 Kessels was awarded with the Amsterdam Prize of the Arts, in 2016 nominated for the  Deutsche Börse Photography Prize. Until 2022 his mid-career retrospective is shown in Turin, Düsseldorf and Budapestand he exhibited recently in the SFMOMA. He was called “a visual sorcerer” by Time Magazine and a “Modern Anthropologist” by Vogue (Italia).

About MIA Fair

Founded in 2011, MIA Fair is Italy’s most important art fair devoted exclusively to photography and image-based art. Renowned for its innovative format, the fair presents both solo and group exhibitions, each built around a distinct curatorial project. This unique approach underscores the increasingly cross-disciplinary role of photography within the broader context of contemporary art.

MIA Fair also offers a dynamic cultural program, featuring talks, panel discussions, and events that explore key themes in art and photography. These initiatives aim to foster a more informed and engaged community of collectors, providing valuable insights from leading Italian and international voices in the art world.

For art collectors, MIA Fair represents an exciting and forward-thinking experience, offering a comprehensive view of the photography market from established masters to emerging talents. Over the years, MIA Fair has successfully cultivated a new generation of collectors, encouraging them to enter the world of contemporary art through the collection of photography.