A Guide to July 2025 Photo Awards & Open Calls

Textile Transformations, Prix Henri Cartier-Bresson, Residency Program For Artists From Namibia, Prix Photoforum, Circulation(s) Open Call, Encontros da Imagem Photobook Award, Tender Visions, are among the opportunities we selected this month.

Textile Transformations 2025

Deadline 14 July / No entry fee

For the fourth year running, Textile Exchange and Magnum Photos are launching a competition for emerging photographers and filmmakers to submit a story under the theme Textile Transformations. They are looking for early-career photographers and filmmakers interested in telling the visual stories that take place when fibers and materials are cultivated, created, spun, woven, sewn, loved, and cherished – gaining cultural and emotional significance through the journey. One prize recipient will receive a commission to the value of $10,000 to document the stories behind some of its members as well as support and a mentorship with the Magnum Photos Education team. Additionally, one runner-up will receive a commission to the value of $7,000. Plus, The selected entries will be published in their annual printed zine, Unwoven, as well as showcased in an original exhibition at the Textile Exchange Conference.

Among the jurors are Claire Bergkamp (CEO, Textile Exchange), Sonia Jeunet (Education Director, Magnum Photos), Lorenzo Meloni (Magnum Photographer), Sabiha Çimen (Magnum Photographer), Olya Kuryshchuk (Founder and Editor-in-Chief of 1 Granary), Aditi Mayer (Activist and Storyteller), and Jenny Walton (Artist and Writer, Jenny Sais Quoi).

Applications are open until 14 July with no entry fee. Discover more on their website.

Prix Henri Cartier-Bresson 2025

Deadline 31 July / No entry fee

The Henri Cartier-Bresson Creation Award grants €35,000 to a photographer of any nationality or age who has already completed a significant documentary-based body of work. This endowment is intended to help the recipient complete their ongoing project. Additionally, the award provides support for project development, exhibition curation, and the publication of a book. Both the book release and the exhibition will be held at the Fondation Henri Cartier-Bresson in 2027.

Learn more on their website.

Residency Program For Artists From Namibia 2025

Deadline 1 July / No entry fee

Akademie Schloss Solitude, in partnership with the National Art Gallery of Namibia and the Goethe-Institut Namibia, is offering a bilateral residency program in 2026 to foster cultural exchange between Namibia and Baden-Württemberg. The program will grant two Namibian artists six-month fellowships in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, from March to August, providing them with an opportunity to engage with local artistic communities, present their work through various events (readings, exhibitions, discussions, workshops), and strengthen cross-cultural knowledge exchange. A separate call will be issued for Baden-Württemberg artists to undertake a six-month residency in Namibia. The fellowship includes a furnished living/working studio including electricity, water and heating, a monthly fellowship grant of €1,300, travel expenses for arrival and departure, project funding, a one-off materials subsidy of €2,000, visa costs, and health insurance.

Find out more on their website.

Prix Photoforum 2025

Deadline 6 July / Entry fee €35-65

Photographers and artists are welcome to submit their projects with no theme restrictions, whether it is documentary photography, conceptual, or multimedia installations. 10 to 15 artists will take part in a group exhibition in December 2025 in the heart of Biel/Bienne, Switzerland, will receive a contribution of CHF 500 towards covering transport and production costs, and will attend the Portfolio Day to discuss their work and connect with experts and other artists. Plus, one selected artist will receive the Prix Photoforum, consisting of a CHF 5,000 prize.

The jury is composed of Anne Wyrsch (Image Editor, Le Temps), Manuel Sigrist (Curator, Photo Elysée), Katrin Sperry (Independent Curator), Patricia von Ah (Artists and Researcher) and Amelie Schüle (Director and Curator of Photoforum).

Discover more on Photoforum Pasquart's website.

Circulation(s) 2026 Open Call

Deadline 15 July / Entry fee €20

Calling all European or Europe-based artists who haven't yet had a major exhibition in France, Circulation(s) welcomes submissions to exhibit at the 16th festival edition, taking place at Centquatre-Paris from 21 March to 17 May 2026. Following the event, the festival will continue with tours and off-site events across France and Europe. There is no set theme, and all applicants are invited to submit photographic projects that mix formats or involve other media such as video, installation, or sound. Fetart collective will be responsible for the production of prints, laminations and framing of the photographs exhibited.

You can apply until 15 July with a €20 entry fee. Learn more on their website.

Encontros da Imagem Photobook Award 2025

Deadline 1 July / Entry fee €20

The 35th edition of Encontros da Imagem - International Photography and Visual Arts Festival is accepting photobook submissions for its Best Published Book Award and Best Dummy Award, both of which offer a €1,000 cash prize. Honorable mentions will also be considered. Beyond the awards, all the books submitted will be presented at a collective exhibition, which will take place between 18 September and 2 November 2025 in Braga, Portugal, as part of the 35th edition of the festival, as well as being presented and announced on the festival's website and its various communication channels.

Find out more on their website.

Tender Visions 2025

Deadline 6 July / No entry fee

Tender Photos, with support from the Open Society Foundation, has launched Tender Visions, a new cross-disciplinary commissioning program for photographers and writers residing on the African continent. Eight selected photographers will be paid a total of £1,000, with travel expenses included, to create new, theme-based work within their communities, alongside sixteen writers who will develop original creative or critical responses to these photographic projects. Writers are also invited to apply, with preference given to those residing in Africa, though applications from the African diaspora are welcome. Selected writers will be paired with a photographer and tasked with producing either a critical or creative response inspired by the photographer’s series. Writers will receive a fee of £750.

Learn more on Tender Photo's website.

2026 Light Work Artist-in-Residence Program

Deadline 1 July / Entry fee €10

In partnership with Autograph ABP and the Darryl Chappel Foundation, Light Work annually invites twelve to fifteen international artists working with photography or image-based media for a one-month residency in Syracuse, New York. The program offers a $5,000 stipend, a furnished apartment, 24-hour access to state-of-the-art facilities, and comprehensive staff support. Each Artist-in-Residence's work will be featured in a special edition of Contact Sheet: The Light Work Annual, accompanied by a commissioned essay, and will also become part of the Light Work Collection.

Discover more on their website.

Charta Award 2025

Deadline 15 July / Entry fee €25

The Charta Award invites artists who use photography in their practice to submit an unpublished original project suitable for a book format (never published, or self-published in fewer than 15 copies). One selected artist will have their project produced and published by Yogurt Editions in an edition of 500 copies, with Yogurt Editions managing design, production, and sales, and providing the artist with 30 free copies and 10% royalties on sales.