A Guide to December 2024 Photo Awards & Opportunities

Fotografia Europea Open Call, Premio Luigi Ghirri, Tall Poppy Press Open Call, Noorderlicht Biennale 2025 Open Call, PhotoIreland FUTURES Talent Call, VOID Open Call FUTURES and Rotterdam Photo Open Call are among the opportunities we selected this month.

Fotografia Europea 2025 Open Call

Deadline 13 December / Entry fee €25

Fotografia Europea turns 20 and celebrates this milestone by dedicating the 2025 edition to a reflection on that same period of life, seemingly open to infinite possibilities. European or European-based photographers, curators and collectives, of any age, with a project that explores the theme Being Twenty are welcome to apply. Selected artists will receive a prize of €3,000 to create an exhibition that will become part of the official program of the festival to be held in Reggio Emilia from 24 April to 8 June 2025.

The selection committee is composed by the festival's artistic direction, which includes Tim Clark (Editor and Curator 1000 Words), Walter Guadagnini (Director of Camera, Torino) and Luce Lebart (Photography Historian, Exhibition Curator and Researcher).

More information on Fotografia Europea's website.

Premio Luigi Ghirri 2025

Deadline 17 December / No entry fee

GFI | Premio Luigi Ghirri is an open call promoted by the Municipality of Reggio Emilia, addressed to artists under 35 - Italian citizens, or foreigners currently residing in Italy - who use photography as a medium, and have a project that adheres to the theme Unire / Bridging.

Selected artists will receive an exhibition in the group show GFI#12 | Premio Luigi Ghirri 2025 at Palazzo dei Musei, Reggio Emilia, included in the Fotografia Europea festival program. They will be granted a €1,500 fee to cover all production, transportation and traveling costs. Additionally the Premio Luigi Ghirri, consisting of €4,000 cash prize, will be awarded to one project selected by a dedicated jury. One artist will be granted the artist residency New Trajectories. GFI in Stockholm, consisting of a period of study and research in Sweden culminating in a exhibition curated by the Italian Cultural Institute of Stockholm. Plus, one of the finalists will participate in the Photo-Match portfolio review program as part of Fotofestiwal Łódz 2025.

The jury is composed of Danit Ariel (Artist, Writer, Curator), Ilaria Campioli (Curator), Krzysztof Candrowicz (Curator, Artistic Director, Researcher), Daniele De Luigi (Curator) and Femke Rotteveel (Director Fotodok).

Artists can submit their proposal by 17 December. Find out more on their website.

Tall Poppy Press Open Call 2024

Deadline 1 December / Entry fee €15

Tall Poppy Press invites proposals from emerging and established artists living or working in Australia, or projects with a connection to Australia, to be published in 2025/2026. One work will be selected for publication with a contribution of $10,000 from the publisher, while a second proposal will be selected for publication with a contribution of $5,000. Tall Poppy Press will take care of the publishing phases: design, editing, sequencing, working on the book launch, presence at fairs, marketing, etc. Plus, every entry will receive some feedback from Matt Dunne or Morganna Magee.

Find out more on their website.

Noorderlicht Biennale 2025 Open Call

Deadline 1 December / No entry fee

Titled Machine Entanglements, the Noorderlicht Biennale 2025 focuses on the complex relationship between technology, ecology, and heritage. The project invites artists, photographers, and image-makers to submit work that explores these themes and reflects on the influence of technology, such as artificial intelligence (AI), on society and our environment. Curators Wim Melis, Roosje Klap, and Rosa Wevers, will select the works that will be produced and installed for exhibitions in the summer of 2025 in Groningen, The Netherlands. A public program, including guided tours, workshops, and discussions will complement the Biennale.

More information on their website.

PhotoIreland FUTURES Talent Call 2025

Deadline 15 December / No entry fee

For the first time, all UK practitioners can get the chance to be part of the FUTURES program. The call is for artists working in photography and its expanded practice at any level, who feel their practice is at a suitable stage to avail of this opportunity.

Being part of FUTURES platform, selected artists will receive a participation fee of €500, the participation in the 2025 Annual Event taking place at the Tbilisi Photo Festival, Georgia, plus the opportunity of conversations with international professionals, access to exclusive workshops organized by Magnum, and more. In addition, PhotoIreland provides access bursaries: applicants who may require financial support to enable their participation due to accessibility reasons can include these in their submission, including an estimate of costs.

You can apply by 15 December. More information on the PhotoIreland's website.

VOID Open Call FUTURES 2025

Deadline 20 December / No entry fee

Void is calling for artists from (or living in) Greece, Bulgaria or Cyprus to join FUTURES. Void’s talents will have the opportunity to showcase their work on an international stage and contribute to a community of like-minded peers.

Each selected artist will receive a €500 fee, will have the chance to attend conversations with experts and will be invited to the annual event held during Tbilisi Photo Festival in Georgia, September 2025 with travel and accommodation fees covered. In addition, artists will have the possibility to participate in the call for the Annual Exhibition (that travels through some members in Europe), to access to an online learning program with Magnum Photos, and more.

More information on VOID's website.

Rotterdam Photo 2025 Open Call

Deadline 20 December / Entry fee €29-35

Rotterdam Photo is accepting submissions delving into the theme Shared/Connected. Selected photographers will be invited to showcase their projects and create their exhibition in the container during Rotterdam Photo 2025 to be held in May 2025. As part of the prize, winners will also have the chance to sell their pieces, network with gallerists, potential buyers, and international art press.

The jury is composed of Aya Musa (Curator at FOAM), Sam Barzilay (Creative Director & Co-Founder of Photoville), Vanya Pieters (Freelance Picture Editor), Marcel Kollen (Freelance photographer, Managing Director of the Rotterdam Photo), and Erik Vroons (Editor in Chief for GUP, international magazine for creative contemporary photography).

Learn more on Rotterdam Photo's website.

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Other Deadlines

LUMÍNIC Festival Open Call 2025 / Deadline 9 December / No entry fee

Taking place in Sant Cugat del Vallès, Spain, the LUMÍNIC festival this year aims to engage in a photographic dialogue with projects that explore the various power dynamics inherent in the human condition. The selected project will be awarded an individual exhibition at the next edition of the festival, scheduled for May-July 2025. The festival will either cover the production costs of the work up to a maximum of €500 or, if the work is already produced, provide a fee of €500.

Female in Focus x Nikon 2024 / Deadline 10 December / No entry fee

British Journal Of Photography and Nikon announced the fifth edition of the Female in Focus award. The theme is Renewal, delving into the transformative process of rejuvenation and rebirth whether through personal growth, environmental restoration, or societal change. Two series will be exhibited as part of two group shows in the UK, while 20 single images and two series will be exhibited in a group show at 10.14 Gallery (London) and at Glasgow’s Gallery of Photography. The authors of the two selected series will also receive a Z Series mirrorless camera, along with two NIKKOR Z lenses of their choice.

Dust Publishing Prize 2024 / Deadline 6 December / Entry fee €22

Dust Collective publishes handmade and small-edition photography books. Skillfully printed and crafted by hand in New England, each book shows a close attention to materials and details. They are now looking for proposals for their next publication. One selected artist will receive a photobook designed, edited, printed, and published by Dust Collective, including distribution and promotion.

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Visit our awards page or download our iOS awards app to get a complete view of the best photography opportunities that are currently open for entry.