Photo Fringe invites artists to propose a single image that will engage audiences with the climate crisis and help us imagine a greener, fairer world.

About the award

Photo Fringe invites artists from all over the world to participate and respond to the question: "How can photography make a difference to the climate crisis?"

For this year’s OPEN award we’re calling for work to be shown in an outdoor exhibition on Worthing seafront. Twenty single images will be selected by our jury for this key festival exhibition and images will be printed by award-winning professional printers Metro Imaging as well as feature on our festival website.


Real Utopias

"The function of art is to do more than tell it like it is – it is to imagine what is possible." bell hooks.

Our tenth, biennial, open-platform festival is scheduled to take place online and in venues across and beyond Brighton & Hove from 6 – 30 October. 

Our theme for 2022 is Real Utopias, a call to action for Photo Fringers and audiences to explore how photography can help us imagine a brighter, greener, fairer world.

Real utopias exist on the periphery of the mainstream, demonstrating what could be possible. They take the here and now as a starting point for dreaming and visualising a better future. As we emerge from the depths of the pandemic, learning to cope with the climate crisis and global emergencies, the future feels increasingly unsettled. Photo Fringe co-opts the expansive medium of photography to co-create alternative visions of the future.

How to apply

Please enter work you consider to be in some way photographic, well resolved, exciting and innovative. The panel will be looking for responses to the theme of Real Utopias and work that responds to the question: "How can photography make a difference to the climate crisis?"

Eligibility

• Submissions of work are invited from anyone who considers themselves to be a photographer or lens-based artist. 

• Artists can submit as many bodies of work as they want but note that only one image per artist will be selected in the shortlist.

• Submit work that you consider to be in some way photographic.

• Entrants should be over 18 years of age.

Artists between the ages of 14 to 18 should apply for our OPEN Young Photographers award.

Selection panel

Emma Critchley, Artist
Elizabeth Gleave, Co-Director, Land Art Agency
Steve Macleod, artist, curator and Director, Metro Imaging Ltd

Others to be confirmed. 

Want to show a full exhibition?
All artists submitting are invited to create their own, full exhibitions on our online platform for the standard registration fees, see here for details. Photo Fringe is a registered charity and we collaborate with artists to deliver the festival that is open for everyone. Fees collectively contribute directly to festival production costs. We are launching an online shop to support artists to sell their work. All entrants’ work will be reviewed by a panel of influential professionals.

About Photo Fringe

Photo Fringe is a registered charity that supports early-career photographers and lens-based artists, showcases new talent and enables all kinds of people to enjoy and experiment with photography. Every two years Photo Fringe designs and delivers one of the largest photographic festivals of its kind in the UK. Photo Fringe develops new ways of seeing together. It is open to everyone and everybody’s invited.

photofringe.org

About the exhibition space

The Seafront Gallery at Worthing is accessible 24/7 and the Photo Fringe OPEN Eco exhibition will run from 15 October 2022 for six months. Worthing Borough Council has offered a series of specially made gabions on the promenade to host the exhibition. Images are 90x90 cm. Images will be recycled following the exhibition unless collected by the artists. Photo Fringe is unable to return prints. Also showing online at photofringe.org for at least 12 months.

Timeline

Application Deadline: Friday, 23 September at 9am (The deadline is 09.00am GMT which is 10.00am CET)

Print ready files submitted by: 27 September at 9am

Launch exhibition: 15 October

Preview

The launch of Photo Fringe 2022 will take place on 6 October in Brighton. Everyone is welcome to attend. Tickets for the Photo Fringe party following exhibition previews will be online soon. The OPEN Eco exhibition will be live from 15 October.

Instructions

• Upload up to 6 images of the work you are proposing
• Highlight and upload the one image you would like to exhibit
• Each image at 300 dpi, at least 700mm on the widest length
• For each image, please complete the description field with the year of production and image title if relevant

You will also be asked for:

• up to 50 words about your practice
• up to 100 words describing how your work proposes to respond to the question: How can photography make a difference to the climate crisis?
• a short written biography (up to 100 words)
• a link to your website (optional)
• a link to your instagram (optional)
• a completed Equal Opportunities Monitoring Form - LINK
  
  

Final Exhibition Image

Final images will be selected by the panel. You will be requested to submit by We transfer directly to Photo Fringe. No further amendments will be possible. Submitted images must follow the spec below:

*largest file size available saved as a CMYK tiff file at 300dpi. For info, images will be printed on white dibond (900x900mm) with a border of 100x100mm so final images will be 700x700mm.


Accessibility

If you require support with your application, please get in touch with Photo Fringe Festival Director, Claire Wearn, using the "Contact the curator" button below.

Equal Opportunities Monitoring Form

Please complete our short survey to help aid evaluation of opportunities at Photo Fringe. The personal data you supply on this form is anonymous and will not be viewed with your submission.

Please refer to the Photo Fringe website for more details of how we look after your data.


ENTRY DEADLINE
23 September, 2022 09:00 GMT / 10:00 CET

We look forward to receiving your entry!