A Guide To April 2026 Photo Awards & Open Calls

PhMuseum Online Masterclasses Program Scholarship, PhMuseum Days Photography Festival Open Call, The Hasselblad Foundation Photo Book Grants, Inge Morath Award, and SIYU Award are among the opportunities we selected this month.

PhMuseum 2026/27 Online Masterclasses Program Scholarship

Scholarship Deadline 30 April / No entry fee

Five different programs offer a variety of methods to work within the field of photography. Over eight months, participants are invited to bring a body of work to life, to fully engage with their practice, to question, test, and reflect on their ideas and methodology. You can select one or more programs delving into five fields: Artistic Development (CURAE with Erik Kessels), Conceptual Thinking (IDEA with Charlie Engman), Documentary Photography (CRITICAE with Aaron Schuman), Transmedia Storytelling (MEDIAE with Salvatore Vitale), and Photobook-Making (FOLIO with Vasantha Yogananthan feat. Cécile Poimbœuf-Koizumi, co-founder of the publishing house Chose Commune ).

Alternating collective tutoring, seminars, individual sessions, and studio visits, each masterclass exists in a community-driven environment, and provides concrete opportunities to exhibit, publish, and distribute your visual project. Upon the program's conclusion, one or more participants across all five Masterclasses will be selected for a solo or duo exhibition at PhMuseum Lab in Bologna, Italy (November 2027). Additionally, the photobook dummies produced during FOLIO will be exhibited at Photobook Mania in October 2027.

PhMuseum is offering 5 fully-funded scholarships, one for each masterclass, meant to cover the participation costs for deserving candidates. Applicants facing challenging financial or political circumstances are prioritized. The scholarship application deadline is 30 April.

Learn more and apply here.

PhMuseum Days 2026 Photography Festival Open Call

Early Bird Deadline 16 April / Entry fee €24

Themed Archipelago, the 5th edition of the open call offers visual artists the opportunity to exhibit at the PhMuseum Days International Photography Festival, taking place from 1-4 October in Bologna, Italy. For the first time, the festival will be held alongside Photobook Mania – PhMuseum's publishing fair – creating a complete platform to enjoy contemporary photography in person.

At least 3 artists will be granted a solo show within the Festival’s new main venue, the historical Ex Ospedale dei Bastardini. Another project will be selected for a solo public installation on former municipality billboards. Both opportunities provide full production coverage (up to €2500+VAT for exhibitions in the main venue), a €300 artist fee, and a contribution to travel expenses to attend the inaugural weekend. Plus, up to 40 single images will be chosen to take part in a sculptural, public collective installation at Archiginnasio di Bologna, while up to 20 works will be screened. Furthermore, as an applicant, you can claim a free festival pass.

All entries will be reviewed by a jury comprised of Pacifico Silano (Visual Artist), Tara L. C. Sood (Photographer and Filmmaker), Rita Puig-Serra Costa (Photographer), and Giuseppe Oliverio (PhMuseum Founding and Artistic Director). The review will happen in May, with the results being announced in June.

More information about the open call at this link.

The Hasselblad Foundation Photo Book Grants 2026

Deadline 1 April / No entry fee

With the photo book grants, the Hasselblad Foundation aims to support and contribute to the development and publication of photobooks. Two grants of SEK 100,000 (€9,150) each will be awarded in 2026. The opportunity is open to all professionals working with photography, including photographers, artists, curators, researchers, and writers; applications can be submitted by individuals or collectives. These funds are intended for upcoming projects that have not yet been published.

Priority will be given to proposals that meet one or more of the following criteria: collaborations with academic institutions, a focus on social issues and engagement, innovative design, or a conscious stance on environmental sustainability. The jury is composed of Annika Elisabeth von Hausswolff, Louise Wolthers, Jacob Birch, and Andréas Hagström.

For more details, go to the Hasselblad Foundation's website.

2026 Inge Morath Award

Deadline 30 April / No entry fee

Organized by Magnum Foundation in collaboration with the Inge Morath Estate, the annual award honors the legacy of the Austrian photographer by supporting women and nonbinary practitioners under 30. The program provides a $7,500 (€6,400) grant to a selected recipient and $1,000 (€860) to one finalist to facilitate the completion of a long-term documentary project.

A jury of industry experts and Magnum members will review submissions based on artistic merit and narrative depth, with the winners officially announced between July and August.

Discover more on Magnum Foundation's website.

APhF Dummy Award feat. Chose Commune

Deadline 28 April / Entry fee €25

In collaboration with the Athens Photo Festival, the prize recipient will receive a contract with French publishing house Chose Commune to produce a photobook with a budget of up to €15,000. Additionally, the selected work will be included in the main exhibition program of the next Athens Photo Festival at the Benaki Museum / Pireos 138. A shortlist of 10 photobooks will also be featured in the APhF printed catalog, while 20 shortlisted works will be presented in the APhF Dummy Award feat. Chose Commune exhibition in June - July 2026. All submitting artists will receive complimentary entry tickets to APhF:26, and all submitted books will be housed in the Athens Photo Research Center Library.

The jury comprises Cécile Sayuri Poimboeuf-Koizumi (Publisher, Chose Commune), Marta Weiss (Curator of Photography, Victoria and Albert Museum), Katy Hundertmark (Curator and Editor, Foam), and Sylvia Sachini (Curator, APhF Book Program).

Full details are available here.

Pick:26 Book Award

Deadline 30 April / Entry fee €55

One selected photobook produced or published between January 2025 and March 2026 will receive a €2,000 cash prize and will be included in the next edition of the Athens Photo Festival main exhibition program in Athens, Greece. Plus, 10 shortlisted photobooks will be featured in the APhF printed catalog, while 20 shortlisted photobooks will be presented in the APhF Pick:26 Book Award exhibition at the Benaki Museum / Pireos 138 between June and July 2026. All applicants will receive complimentary entry tickets to APhF:26, and all submitted books will be housed in the Athens Photo Research Center Library.

The jury is composed of Marta Weiss (Curator of Photography, Victoria and Albert Museum), Katy Hundertmark (Curator and Editor, Foam), and Sylvia Sachini (Curator, APhF Book Program).

Read more on the Athens Photo Festival's website.

SIYU Award 2026

Deadline 30 April / Entry fee €55

The award aims to discover and promote fresh, authentic photographic voices across all genres, offering ten Swiss or Switzerland-based artists – up to the age of 39 – the opportunity to showcase their work in a professional context through a touring exhibition and a high-quality catalog. The prize structure includes three main cash awards: CHF 5,000 (€5,400) for the first prize, CHF 3,000 (€3,250) for the second, and CHF 2,000 (€2,170) for the third.

Beyond the cash prizes, SIYU provides critical support for the production of exhibition prints and covers the costs associated with the publication of the official catalog. The ten finalists will have their work premiered at Photobastei Zurich in October 2026, marking a major milestone for their professional visibility within the Swiss and international photography scenes.

To learn more, check the link.

EXPOSED feat Witty Books Dummy Award

Deadline 19 April / No entry fee

An international competition dedicated to selecting and publishing an unpublished photographic project as a book. The call is open to photographers and collectives who have completed a body of work and developed it into a final editorial layout, but have not yet officially published it. The selected project will be published by Witty Books in a minimum edition of 400 copies, with 10% of the production reserved for the author.

The editorial development will take place throughout 2026, leading to the presentation and official launch of the book at the 2027 edition of EXPOSED Torino Photo Festival. The jury includes Tommaso Parrillo, Giulia Ninotta, and Karla Hiraldo Voleau.

Submissions are open until 19 April with no entry fee. Full details are available here.

Hidden Narratives Residency 2026

Deadline 13 April / No entry fee

The Royal Geographical Society, in partnership with Photoworks and the Italian Cultural Institute in London, invites Italian visual artists to engage with its historic collections, focusing on environmental and humanitarian themes. This year-long fellowship, spanning 2026 and 2027, tasks practitioners with uncovering hidden narratives and exploring the human impact through rigorous collection-based research. The program seeks original portfolios and proposals that demonstrate a deep commitment to recontextualizing historical records.

The itinerary includes three research and presentation visits to the UK, beginning with an initial site visit in May 2026 and a process-led talk at Summit Photo in July 2026. The collaboration culminates in a final exhibition of the developed work at Summit Photo 2027. Successful candidates will receive a £1,500 (€1,720) stipend, with all travel, lodging, and production expenses fully subsidized.

La Embajada Open Call

Deadline 19 April / No entry fee

In response to the vibrant evolution of Spanish contemporary photography, El Local – with the support of Plataforma Fotografía e Imagen – has launched an international open call for its third edition at the Rencontres d’Arles fringe circuit. This initiative aims to bridge the historical gap in international representation by selecting Spanish or Spain-based artists to showcase forward-thinking projects that challenge traditional national paradigms.

Selected participants will receive a €1,400 fee and the opportunity to take part in a group exhibition and professional networking events in Arles, France, on 6-12 July 2026.

Full details are available on El Local's website.

Talent Latent 2026

Deadline 12 April / No entry fee

Organized by the SCAN International Photography Festival, the call seeks to highlight diverse practices and perspectives, offering selected creators the opportunity to present their work within an international context. Chosen projects will be included in the festival’s main exhibition, hosted at Tinglado 2 in the Port of Tarragona, Spain, and on view from 16 October to 29 November 2026. This exhibition forms a central moment of the festival, bringing together emerging and established voices in a shared space.

For each series presented, the author will receive a fee of €500. In addition, selected artists will be invited to attend the festival opening, providing a chance to engage directly with the public, connect with other practitioners, and take part in the wider program of events.

For more details, go to Scan Tarragona's website.

Landskrona Foto & Breadfield Dummy Award 2026

Deadline 30 April / Entry fee €30

Focused entirely on the photobook as an artistic medium, this international competition invites artists and photographers worldwide to submit their book dummies. It welcomes a wide range of projects, including unpublished works, self-published editions, and print-on-demand publications, encouraging diverse approaches to book-making. The selected project will be brought to life through a full publication by Breadfield Press in collaboration with Landskrona Foto. This process includes professional design, production, printing, and distribution, ensuring the work reaches its final, fully realised form.

The prize recipient will also receive several copies of the book for personal distribution and sale, and will be invited to attend the 2026 edition of the Landskrona Foto Festival in Sweden, where the award ceremony takes place.

More information about the award on the following link.

Artphilein Open Call 2026

Deadline 15 April / No entry fee

De Pietri Artphilein Foundation welcomes photographers to explore adolescence from within – shifting the perspective away from external interpretations and toward lived, immediate experience. Rather than framing it as a simple transition, the open call looks for projects that reflect the complexities of the present: identity in flux, the influence of digital environments, and the pressure of broader social and political realities.

One selected artist will be awarded a fully produced solo exhibition at the Artphilein Library, in Paradiso, Switzerland, in Autumn 2026, accompanied by a dosiser publication featuring a selection of images and texts developed for the show. The selected project will also receive a cash prize of CHF 1,000 (€1,080). In addition, works by nine shortlisted finalists may be presented as a projection during the exhibition opening. All submissions will be evaluated by a jury composed of the Artphilein curatorial team.

You can apply until 15 April. Details about the application are available here

Delfina Foundation 2026 Residency

Deadline 6 April / No entry fee

Supported by Jorge M. and Darlene Pérez, Delfine Foundation is offering two fully funded, twelve-week residencies in London, United Kingdom, for artists from underrepresented Latin American and Caribbean countries or related diasporic communities in the United States – except for artists from Chile, Peru, Ecuador, Brazil, and Argentina, who have benefited from dedicated residencies over the last two years.

The program covers all travel, central London accommodation, and a daily living allowance, providing selected practitioners with the resources to engage in international networking and research during the Autumn 2026 or Winter 2027 seasons.

Discover more on Delfina Foundation's website.

Women In Nature Artist’s Commission For Photographers

Deadline 20 April / No entry fee

Co-funded by the EU Just Transition Fund, this collaboration between Photo Museum Ireland and the Tóchar Midlands Wetland Restoration project invites Ireland-based artists to document climate action through a blend of portraiture and landscape imagery. The selected photographer will create a series of twelve portraits featuring Women in Nature heroes – individuals recognized for their environmental leadership – alongside evocative studies of the habitats they are working to protect.

This €15,000 commission culminates in a dedicated publication and a series of public exhibitions showcasing the final works.

Full details are available here.

Graz Residency For International Photographers

Deadline 20 April / No entry fee

The Graz Residency for International Photographers is a month-long fellowship for early-career artists focusing on lens-based media. Running from mid-September to mid-October 2026, the program provides a €1,000 stipend, furnished downtown housing, and travel reimbursement to support research and creative development in Graz, Austria.

Participants are granted access to Camera Austria’s extensive 11,000-volume library to advance their projects, culminating in a public presentation of their work within the institution's exhibition space.

Camera Austria is welcoming submissions until 20 April. Find out more on their website.

Penumbra Foundation 2026 Workspace Residency And Risograph Residency

Deadline 15 April / No entry fee

The Penumbra Foundation’s 2026 Residency Programs offer two distinct awards tailored to the needs of lens-based artists: the Workspace Artist-in-Residence (A-I-R) and the Risograph Publication Residency. The Workspace program provides emerging US-based artists with an honorarium and six to eight weeks of liberal access to professional darkrooms and digital facilities for deep project development. Alternatively, the Risograph Residency offers both US and international artists a one-month intensive to produce a small-edition photobook, including technical training, production assistance, and promotional support culminating in a high-profile book launch.

Both tracks provide essential critical and technical mentorship, helping artists transform their research and imagery into professional-grade exhibitions or publications.

Further information is available on the website.

--------------------

Other Deadlines

L'Image Satellite 2026 Open Call / Deadline 26 April / No entry fee

Submissions are now open for the 2026 edition of the festival. The call invites photographers and visual artists engaging with contemporary image-making in its broadest sense, from documentary practices to experimental and artistic approaches, including vernacular photography and works that expand across print, exhibition, projection, or moving image formats. Artists selected through the open call will be included in the festival’s exhibition programme in Nice, France, gaining the opportunity to present their work within a context that highlights new voices and evolving perspectives in contemporary photography.

FMoPA 2026 International Photography Competition / Deadline 22 April / Entry fee €10

The Florida Museum of Photographic Arts invites photographers from around the world to submit their work across a wide range of genres. Open to diverse practices, the call includes categories such as portraiture, landscape, nature, photojournalism, still life, abstract, and conceptual photography. Entries will be evaluated by an international jury with expertise in art and photography. The overall prize recipient will receive a $1,000 (€860) cash award, be featured in a group exhibition at the museum, and be considered for a solo show at its main space in Tampa’s historic Ybor District.

Grenze-Arsenali Fotografici 2026 Open Call / Deadline 30 April / Entry fee €28

Three selected artists will be exhibited during the next edition of Grenze-Arsenali Fotografici, opening in September 2026 in Verona, Italy. Selected artists will have accommodation provided for two nights during the opening weekend, and a budget of up to €1,000 for prints and installation. The jury includes Aida Redžepagić and Jelena Janković, founder and program director of the Sarajevo Photography Festival, alongside curator and editor David Pujado and curator Marta Szymańska. The selection process is overseen in collaboration with festival curators Simone Azzoni and Francesca Marra, combining international curatorial perspectives with the festival’s artistic direction.

São Paulo Photography Festival 2026 Open Call / Deadline 19 April / No entry fee

Organized by the São Paulo Photography Festival and the Italian Cultural Institute of São Paulo, the call invites Italian photographers based in Brazil or Italy to submit their work for a photography exhibition scheduled for May 2026 and to be featured among the highlights of the Festival’s official lineup. One of the 15 selected photographers will also be awarded a round-trip flight to attend the event.