VAiF26 Photobook Open Call

Selected photobooks will be featured in the group exhibition as part of VAiF26, taking place in November 2026 in Thessaloniki, Greece.

Overview

The Visual Arts International Festival – VaiF26 invites photographers, designers, publishers, artists, and creative studios from Greece and abroad to participate in the Photobook Open Call 2026, an open call dedicated to contemporary photobook practices and visual storytelling through the book form.

A photobook is more than a medium. It is a way of thinking, a structure of storytelling, and a constructed visual world. Through this open call, VaiF26 seeks projects that explore the relationship between image, sequencing, editing, materiality, and narrative.

Practical Info

You can submit self-published photobooks, publications created in collaboration with a publishing house, as well as zines or dummy photobooks, provided they are completed proposals, even if not officially published. There are no thematic restrictions, but submissions must demonstrate a clear visual identity, coherent narrative structure, and a contemporary photographic language.

Submission must be completed via the entry form and must include a PDF file of the book, either the full version or the layout, a short video (up to 2 minutes) showing the book being browsed—shared via a YouTube, Vimeo, WeTransfer, or SwissTransfer link—and one or more photos of the physical object, including the cover and spreads.

Applicants must also send accompanying material such as the book title, a project description of up to 150 words, technical specifications (dimensions, number of pages, printing method), and the creator's details, including name, email, and country of residence. It is not necessary to send a physical copy of the book at this stage.

A jury will select photobooks to be featured in the group exhibition that will be presented as part of VAiF26, taking place in November 2026 in Thessaloniki, Greece. Selected creators will be notified via email and will be invited to send a physical copy of the work for the exhibition. The books will be included in the VAiF library, to present them in future actions, without commercial exploitation.

The jury is composed of Elena Karathanasi (Curator and Graphic Design Lead at VAiF), Alexandra Moschovi (Academic Scholar, Art Critic, and Curator), and Alexander Supartono (Art Historian and Curator).

About VAiF

The Visual Arts International Festival – VAiF is an international visual arts festival based in Thessaloniki, dedicated to photography, design, and contemporary forms of visual expression. In 2026, VAiF returns for its third edition, continuing to create an international meeting point for artists, creators, and audiences through exhibitions, open calls, screenings, talks, and parallel events from Greece and abroad.