Updated 26 October 2026 · CallOpen.art
Open calls for photography in the CallOpen catalogue today: 286 — exhibitions: 104, residencies: 69, competitions: 66, grants: 30. Free to apply: 94.
- Open for photography
- 286
- Competitions
- 66
- Exhibition calls
- 104
- Grants
- 30
- Free to apply
- 94
- Ban AI-made images
- 23
Counted from the 1,583 open calls in the CallOpen catalogue, each checked against the organiser’s own page.
Which kind of call to choose
Competitions judge a single image or a series and pay prize money; most charge an entry fee. Exhibition calls select work for a show. Grants fund a project — production, travel, a book — and usually ask for a proposal and a budget. Residencies give time to shoot or edit in a new place.
Fees in photography
Of the open calls for photography — free to apply: 94; a fee: 125. Weigh the fee against what the call gives: prize money (86), an exhibition (185), a publication (42).
AI-generated images
Photography calls that ban AI-generated or AI-edited work: 23 of 286. Most others say nothing, and silence is not permission. Read the rules on editing and composites too.
Who can apply
No country or region limit in the terms: 204 of the open calls for photography. With an upper age limit: 16. Some are for students or for photographers based in one country; each card says who may apply.
What to send
A tight series beats a sample of everything. Send the number of images the call asks for, in the order you want them seen, with titles and a short statement. Follow the file size and format exactly; many submission platforms reject anything else.
Keep your rights
Read what the organiser may do with your images. Use for the exhibition and for press is normal; a licence for any use, for ever, is not. Check whether winning images pass to the organiser.
| Type of call | Open now |
|---|---|
| Exhibitions | 104 |
| Residencies | 69 |
| Competitions | 66 |
| Grants | 30 |
| Fellowships | 9 |
| Other | 7 |
| Workshops | 1 |
