Conditions of Participation

Open Call 2025

Who can take part?

• The Photoszene Open Call is open to all artists aged 18 and above
• The Photoszene Open Call is aimed at artists, photographers, students and graduates who work with the medium of photography and its extended tools
• The Photoszene Open Call is open internationally

What can be submitted?

• An artistic work (individual work, series, installation) for participation in curated group exhibitions at the Photoszene Festival in May/June 2025
• The theme of the Open Call is "Feelings & Photography". The Photoszene is therefore interested in artistic works whose content engages with present-day themes of "feelings"
• Photographic series can be submitted that tell of feelings and various states, but are also presented in a form and manner that stir feelings when the images are viewed
• The works can be linked to the theme of “Feelings” in terms of content and/or technique.
• The jury will evaluate a specific artistic expression that demonstrates new forms of photographic storytelling.

How many artists will be juried for participation in the exhibition?

• Up to 20 positions will be selected by the jury for the exhibition.

What does the artist receive?

• The work will be shown in a group exhibition at an exhibition venue as part of the Photoszene Festival 2025 in Cologne
• Each juried position will receive an exhibition fee of €500
• The Photoszene can pay a travel allowance for travel to the festival
• There is the possibility of a production cost subsidy if the work has not yet been produced or needs to be adapted for the exhibition space
• The group exhibition will be integrated into an international public relations and press campaign as part of the Photoszene Festival and made accessible to a large audience

What can I submit?

• The completed and signed registration form (DOWNLOAD)
• A curriculum vitae (CV) with details of place of birth, residence and education
• An artistic statement with a portfolio of past works and/or an informative website
• A project outline or a project PDF of the work you are submitting for the Open Call.
  • The project outline must roughly thematize the work in its entirety
  • Project description (max. 1,800 characters)
  • If multi-part: approximate number of photographs, objects, works
  • Information on equipment requirements (is video technology required?)
  • Format of the work
  • Has the work been shown before? If yes, how and where?
• The requested documents must be uploaded to the website by January 31, 2025
• PDFs with a maximum size of 10 MB must be submitted
• Catalogs, brochures, etc. can be submitted by post to Internationale Photoszene Köln gUG, Im Mediapark 7, 50670 Cologne (not obligatory)

What is the timetable?

• The Open Call will begin on December 1, 2024
• The deadline for submissions is January 31, 2025 at 11:59 pm
• The jury will meet in mid-February 2025
• Participating artists will be informed about their participation towards the end of February

We look forward to many submissions! Your Photoszene!