A Guide to February 2025 Photo Awards & Opportunities

VA-M Festival Photography Open Call, PhMuseum Photography Grant, Grand Prix Images Vevey and Images Vevey Book Award, Kranj Foto Fest Open Call For Exhibitions, and Return2Ithaca Residency Program are among the opportunities we selected this month.

PhMuseum 2025 Photography Grant

Deadline 13 February / Entry fee €35

Now in its 13th edition, the PhMuseum Photography Grant is an annual initiative that recognises the importance of photography and visual storytelling. The jury composed of Aaron Schuman (Photographer, Writer and Lecturer), Bruno Ceschel (Founder of Self Publish, Be Happy), Kim Jeong Eun (Publisher and Curator) and Sheida Soleimani (Artist and Educator) will select the main grant recipients which will share a total of €10,000 in cash.

Among the prizes is a solo exhibition at PhMuseum Lab in Bologna, Italy, with production costs, travel and accommodation included. PhEST's team will select a work for a solo show during the 10th edition of the festival to be held in Monopoli, Italy in September 2025. Maria Ptqk, head curator of Getxophoto, will choose a project to exhibited during the 18th edition of the festival which will be held in Getxo, Spain in June 2025. Plus, Krzysztof Candrowicz and Mafalda Ruao will invite an artist to join Photo-Match at Lodz Fotofestiwal 2025, Poland in June 2025. Up to 40 shortlisted works will be screened at Kranj Foto Fest (Slovenia), Lodz Fotofestiwal (Poland) and Verzasca Foto Festival (Switzerland). All submissions will be eligible for publication in the first edition of PhMuseum's printed annual magazine, launching in Autumn 2025. Plus, six applicants will receive a free portfolio review with a mentor of their choice from PhMuseum Education.

Learn more and apply here.

Grand Prix Images Vevey 2025/2026

Deadline 25 February / Entry fee €60

Awarded every two years, the grant is open to artists and photographers around the world and aims to support original creation. With no age limitations or regional restrictions, this CHF40,000 prize enables one artist to develop a new photography project over the course of a year and present it at the following Biennale Images Vevey, in Switzerland, in September 2026. The total amount will be split between CHF30,000 granted to the laureate in three installments for the development and achievement of a project, while CHF10,000 will be managed by Images Vevey for the creation and promotion of the project's exhibition at the Bienniale.

Discover more on their website.

Images Vevey Book Award 2025/2026

Deadline 25 February / Entry fee €40

The Award is open to artists and photographers who are currently working on a book project, with no age limitations or regional restrictions, and with complete freedom of choice over subject and genre. One selected artist will be provided a financial contribution ranging from a minimum of CHF10,000 (co-publishing) to a maximum of CHF20,000 (exclusive publisher) to produce a unique photography book, in consultation with Images Vevey as publisher or co-publisher.

More details on their website.

V-AM Festival 2025 Photography Open Call

Deadline 8 February / No entry fee

PhMuseum and HPO invite visual artists to offer their interpretation of Vivere A-Metropolitano, literally A-Metropolitan Living, meant as a way to explore the architecture, landscapes and ideas of provincial areas, giving a new meaning to those places protected by low density that do not they correspond to and do not aspire to the dimension of the metropolis.

Selected works will be exhibited in 5 public billboards (6x3 meters) curated by PhMuseum as part of the Vivere A-Metropolitano festival, organized by HPO, which will take place in Italy from 31 March to 23 April 2025 between Ferrara and some municipalities of the Po Delta Park. The selection committee is composed of Giuseppe Oliverio (PhMuseum Founding and Creative Director) and Camilla Marrese (PhMuseum Visual Editor).

You can apply by 8 January with no entry fee. More info on PhMuseum's website.

Kranj Foto Fest Open Call For Exhibitions 2025

Deadline 23 February / Entry fee €12

One selected artist will receive a €1,000 cash prize, a solo show at Kranj Foto Fest 2025, with all production costs covered by the festival, travel expenses (up to €400) to Kranj, Slovenia, and accommodation for three nights during the festival's opening week in August 2025. Additionally, up to 12 artists will be selected to take part in a group exhibition, with all production costs covered by the festival and accommodation provided for three nights during the festival's opening week.

The jury is composed of Emese Mucsi (Curator at Robert Capa Contemporary Photography Center), Krzysztof Candrowicz (Co-founder of Fotofestiwal), Sandra Križić Roban (Head of Office for Photography), Carol Körting (Photo editor at Leica Fotografie International magazine) and Fernanda Prado Verčič (Director at Kranj Foto Fest).

Find out more on Kranj Foto Fest's website.

Heritage Lens Open Call 2025

Deadline 16 February / No entry fee

Cobertura Photo (Spain), ISSP (Latvia), Officine Fotografiche Roma (Italy), and Fotofestiwal (Poland) invite Europe-based photographers/visual artists to apply to take part in the HERITAGE LENS project in 2025-2026, which will facilitate the transnational creation and circulation of artistic works through a collaborative photographic exploration by 12 emerging European photographers from diverse regions.

Selected photographers will have the opportunity to establish interdisciplinary connections, gain in-depth knowledge about the growing impact of climate change on European cultural heritage, contribute to raising awareness about this subject, and develop a strong project mentored by a group of international professionals. Plus, a participation grant of €1,000 per artist will be awarded, together with
the participation in three interdisciplinary workshops in Spain, Latvia and Portugal with travel and accommodation covered, the participation in a show at Lodz Fotofestiwal 2026, Lodz, in Poland, and in exhibition/s in other partner countries.

You can apply before 16 February with no entry fee. Learn more on their website.

Return2Ithaca 2025 Residency Program

Deadline 16 February / Entry fee €25

Return2Ithaca residency program brings together selected Greek and International photographers for a 15-day immersive experience on the Ithaca island, Greece, 27 August - 12 September 2025. Participants will engage with curators, receiving feedback and insights into their projects. This residency offers artists the opportunity for an exploration of the Odyssey, this year focusing on the theme There And Back Again and reflecting on the essence of journeys - whether physical, emotional, or intellectual - and the transformative stories that unfold along the way.

The jury is composed of Arianna Rinaldo (Independent Curator), Nina Kassianou (Artistic Director of R2I Residency Program), Moritz Neumüller (Curator, Educator, and Writer in the field of Photography and New Media), and Sandra Maunac (Independent Curator).

Discover more on their website.

Earth Photo 2025

Deadline 3 March / Entry fee €18

Earth Photo is looking for stories about our planet, capturing the impacts of, and adaptations to, climate change. Submissions can consist of any genre of photography and moving image, yet focusing on the Earth's its inhabitants and lands, its beauty, power, and fragility. Opportunities include cash prizes ranging from £1,000 to £500, a residency offered by the Sidney Nolan Trust to a UK-based practitioner, a Photoworks digital residency, mentoring, features, and a touring exhibition in galleries and outdoors.

The jury is composed of Tim Boddy, Louise Fedotov-Clements, Vron Harris, Skinder Hundal, Jae-hyun SEOK, João Kulcsár, Anne Nwakalor, Wang Peiquan and Wang Xueke Isabella, Arianna Rinaldo, Marissa Roth FRGS, Dagmar Seeland, Fiona Shields, David Stock FRGS, and Steven V-L Lee.

Find out more on Earth Photo's website.

PhotoVogue Ukraine Futurespective Open Call

Deadline 1 March / No entry fee

The open call is an opportunity for young and emerging Ukrain-born talents specializing in fashion and art photography. With the support of Condé Nast, as part of the PhotoVogue Ukraine Futurespective, selected works by the finalists will be exhibited at Vogue Ukraine showcases in Kyiv in May and in London in September 2025. The selected artist will have the opportunity to create a special photography project to be published in the print edition of Vogue Ukraine in 2025.

Among the jurors are Alessia Glaviano (Honorary President of Global PhotoVogue, Director of PhotoVogue), Vena Brykalin (Editor-in-Chief of Vogue Ukraine), Peter Doroshenko (Curator and Director of the Ukrainian Museum in New York), Marta Bertman (Creative Director of Vogue Ukraine).

Learn more on their website.

PHOTO 2026 Open Call

Deadline 27 February / Entry fee €28

PHOTO Australia invites artists worldwide to submit work reflecting the theme Show Me Love. Selected artists will receive an artist fee and have their photography displayed in outdoor exhibitions during the PHOTO 2026 International Festival of Photography that will take place on 6-29 March 2026. On the occasion, Melbourne's streets, laneways and parks turn into an outdoor gallery, alongside exhibitions curated by museums and galleries. The selection committee includes experts such as Lucy Gallun, Clare Grafik, Varun Gupta, Shaune Lakin, Brendan McCleary, Clothilde Morette, Sophia Sambono, and Mark Sealy.

More details on their website.

Hong Kong Photobook Dummy Award 2025

Deadline 15 February / No entry fee

Photographers, artists, and creatives from all over the world are invited to submit their self-published or unpublished dummies and zines. The winner and the shortlisted works will be exhibited at the third edition of the Hong Kong Photobook Festival. The First Prize recipient of the Photobook Dummy category will be granted a maximum subsidy of HKD$20,000 (€2400) to attend the festival, while the winner of the First Prize in the Photozine category will be granted a maximum of HKD$3000 (€360).

You can apply before 15 February. Learn more on their website.

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Other Deadlines

Finnish Photobook Award 2024 / Deadline 7 February / No entry fee

Co-organised by the Museum of Photography and the Association of Photographic Artists, the award aims to highlight the book as a form of fine art photography and as an independent artwork. Authors must be Finnish citizens or permanent residents of Finland. One selected author will be granted an award worth €2,000, and finalists will receive €500. 

Liquida Grant 2025 / Deadline 16 February / Entry fee €25-40

Photographers can choose to participate in two different categories depending on the content they intend to submit. For the Full Project category, one selected artist will have a solo show during Liquida Photofestival 2025 (May 08 - 11, 2025) and at FOCUS - De Pietri Artphilein Foundation, Lugano, Switzerland, in 2026. In addition, Vittoria Fragapane will award the publication of a photobook with Swiss publisher Artphilein. Selected images of One Shot category will be part of a group show during Liquida Photofestival, Paratissima Torino 2025, and at FOCUS - De Pietri Artphilein Foundation in Lugano. Plus, prizes for both categories also include a publication in Discarded Magazine, an editorial in Iconic Artist, and more. The jury is composed of Rosa Lacavalla, Alex Urso, Laura Tota, Vittoria Fragapane and Gian Marco Sanna.

Belgrade Photo Month New Talents 2025 / Deadline 16 February / No entry fee

Belgrade Photo Month New Talents 2025 invites emerging photographers born after January 2000 to explore the theme of Postconflict, focusing on the aftermath of political, social, personal, environmental, and economic struggles. Selected artists will have the chance to feature their work during the festival in Belgrade, Serbia, in May 2025.

PORTRAITS – Hellerau Photography Award 2025 / Deadline 15 February / Entry fee €30-50

The 10th edition of the award explores the theme Echoes Of Truth. For the first time, it's possible to apply either with a series of up to 20 images or with single works. Selected photographers will be announced at the vernissage in June 2025 and will be awarded a €5,000 cash prize (1rst place), and a €2,000 cash prize (2nd place). Plus, the 3rd place includes a €1,000 residency prize consisting of a scholarship at HELLERAU - European Center for the Arts.

Photo|Frome 2025 Photobook Award / Deadline 17 February / No entry fee

One selected artist will receive a £500 cash prize, for the strongest submission, published or self-published, which also resonates with the theme inEquality. In addition, a special commendation will be awarded for the book project that has involved exemplary practice, or innovation, in relation to sustainable photobook publishing. The jury is composed of Rehab Eldalil, Victoria Forrest, Georgia Metaxas, Anthony Prothero, and Aaron Schuman.

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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.