exposure 2026
INTERNATIONAL OPEN CALL

The International Open Call welcomes diverse and innovative submissions from photographers and visual artists around the world who incorporate, celebrate, or challenge the photographic medium within their practice.

Juror’s Statement by MARIAMA ATTAH

This final selection of projects each treats the camera as a close companion. You can imagine the back-and-forth between the human eye and the camera lens, checking in to ensure consistency between what the photographer saw and what the camera captured. This tight connection between intention and presentation became one of my defining and intuitive ways of selecting the photographers featured here.

All of the projects shared with me were so impressive in their capacity to tell a stranger a story, to introduce themselves and their ideas, and to capture my imagination. This emphasis on storytelling and curiosity was another particular draw when making my decisions. The projects here invite viewers into the spaces and bodies where these narratives take place. There is a beckoning into inner worlds and different perspectives, which I found irresistible in these works.

Many of the bodies of work here are concerned with transformation, whether of the physical self, in the people and places visited via reminiscing, or in the landscapes signalling change. Photography has great capacity for closing the gap between the self and others, and these 12 artists have shown such deft handling in bridging these positions.

Mariama Attah is a photography curator, writer, and lecturer with a particular interest in overlooked visual histories. She has held positions as Associate Curator at Deutsche Börse, Head of Exhibitions at the Open Eye Gallery in Liverpool, UK, Editor of Foam Magazine, Curator at Photoworks, and Commissioning and Managing Editor of Photoworks Annual.

Selected Artists

Stay tuned for full artist introductions, coming January, 2026!
Stay tuned for full artist introductions, coming January, 2026!
Stay tuned for full artist introductions, coming January, 2026!
Stay tuned for full artist introductions, coming January, 2026!
Stay tuned for full artist introductions, coming January, 2026!
Stay tuned for full artist introductions, coming January, 2026!
Stay tuned for full artist introductions, coming January, 2026!
Stay tuned for full artist introductions, coming January, 2026!
Stay tuned for full artist introductions, coming January, 2026!
Stay tuned for full artist introductions, coming January, 2026!
Stay tuned for full artist introductions, coming January, 2026!
Stay tuned for full artist introductions, coming January, 2026!

SAVE THE DATE

Exhibition & Festival OPENING:
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2025

Hosted in partnership with Contemporary Calgary as part of their Free First Thursdays event series. Details to follow.

Image by Louie Villanueva-Eyre | Exposure 2022 Open Call Exhibitions at Contemporary Calgary

SELECTED ARTISTS WILL:

The International Open Call exhibition will open on February 5th and run through March 5th, 2026 at Contemporary Calgary.
Contemporary Calgary provides the city and its visitors with a significant visual arts destination dedicated to modern and contemporary art. Since 2020, Contemporary Calgary has hosted Exposure’s open call exhibitions, as well as a solo exhibition featuring the previous festival’s Emerging Photographer of the Year.
Admission to the Exposure exhibitions is free and open to the public during regular gallery hours.
This fee (paid in CAD) is calculated according to CARFAC guidelines, which account for Exposure’s annual operating budget and the nature of the exhibition venue.
Exhibiting artists will receive a $150 Production Expense Allocation and a 20% discount with ABL Imaging Group, to cover or support the cost of printing work for the exhibition. Material decisions regarding mounting or framing will be made collaboratively between Exposure’s curatorial team and each individual artist.
Selected images from each exhibiting artist will be included in a public exhibition, displayed on Pattison Outdoor digital billboards located in Calgary.
Previous press has included British Journal of Photography, AnOther Magazine, PhMuseum, Avenue Magazine, NEXT Magazine, MUSÉE Vanguard of Photography Culture, and more!
Each exhibiting artist will have their name and website featured on Exposure’s website as part of an artist profile, in addition to social media spotlights and potential print promotions.

HOW TO APPLY

We announce our Open Call competitions in late-summer each year. Read more on the process below, as it was advertised in 2025:

Prepare Your Work

Choose at least three images from a strong, connected series and write a short statement about your project. We recommend submitting one complete body of work per entry. (You’re welcome to submit more than one, with a fee for each.)

Images can be shot in any format, using any camera, and may include collage or experimental approaches. We welcome all creative practices that explore, expand, or challenge photography.

Not sure if your work fits? Reach out to Festival Manager, Emma Palm.

REView The Fine Print

By submitting, you’re giving Exposure permission to share your images for festival promotion—this may include our website, newsletters, press, and social media. We never take ownership of your copyright; your work remains yours. You’re simply granting us the right to display and promote it in connection with the festival now and in the future.

Please make sure you hold the rights to your images (or have permission from the copyright owner and any necessary model releases).

Submit your form & fee

The submission fee for three images is $45 CAD. Additional images may be submitted for $5 each, up to 10 images total. Fees may be waived for artists facing economic barriers. Please see below for details.

Each image file can be a maximum of 5MB in size. All images must be submitted as JPEGs. The file name of your image must begin with the sequence number for the image, followed by your last name. For example:

Artist name: John Smith
Image filename: 01_Smith.jpeg

SUBMISSIONS ARE NOW CLOSED

HOW WILL YOUR SUBMISSION BE JUDGED?

Our jurors are given an open mandate to select the work they feel is most compelling, relevant, and exhibition-worthy. There is no single theme or style that we are looking for. Instead, jurors will consider:

Artistic Strength

The overall impact of the work—including creativity, originality, and clarity of vision.

How the work speaks to contemporary ideas, experiences, or ways of seeing the world.

Relevance & Resonance

How well the work would engage audiences in a public exhibition context.

Exhibition Potential

The selection process values a range of perspectives, practices, and approaches to photography.

Diversity of Voices

DIVERSITY, EQUITY & INCLUSION

We believe the most exciting work comes from a wide range of voices and experiences. We warmly encourage submissions from underrepresented and equity-deserving communities, and celebrate diverse perspectives. In an effort to reduce barriers to entry, Exposure has undertaken the following initiatives:

Ten fee waivers will be made available as we pilot this initiative to support artists facing economic hardship. If present financial circumstances inhibit your ability to apply to Exposure’s open calls, please use this form to request a Fee Waiver.
Fee Waivers will be awarded on a ‘first come, first served’ basis to those who meet the eligibility criteria. Artists will be notified of their application status within 48 hours of submission.
Photographers located in non-high-income countries can apply to Exposure’s International Open Call for free. Review the list of eligible countries and submit your application via this form.

Qualifying countries for free entry:

Europe &
Central Asia

Albania

Armenia

Azerbaijan

Belarus

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Bulgaria

Georgia

Kazakhstan

Kosovo

Kyrgyz Republic

Moldova

Montenegro

North Macedonia

Serbia

Tajikistan

Turkey

Turkmenistan

Ukraine

Uzbekistan

East Asia &
Pacific

American Samoa

Cambodia

China

Fiji

Indonesia

Kiribati

Korea, Dem. People’s Rep.

Lao PDR

Malaysia

Marshall Islands

Micronesia, Fed. Sts.

Mongolia

Myanmar

Papua New Guinea

Philippines

Samoa

Solomon Islands

Thailand

Timor-Leste

Tonga

Tuvalu

Vanuatu

Vietnam

SOUTH
ASIA

Afghanistan

Bangladesh

Bhutan

India

Maldives

Nepal

Pakistan

Sri Lanka

MIDDLE EAST
& NORTH AFRICA

Algeria

Djibouti

Egypt, Arab Rep.

Iran, Islamic Rep.

Iraq

Jordan

Lebanon

Libya

Morocco

Syrian Arab Republic

Tunisia

West Bank and Gaza

Yemen, Rep.

Sub-Saharan Africa

Angola

Benin

Botswana

Burkina Faso

Burundi

Cabo Verde

Cameroon

Central African Republic

Chad

Comoros

Congo, Dem. Rep.

Congo, Rep.

Côte d’Ivoire

Equatorial Guinea

Eritrea

Eswatini

Ethiopia

Gabon

Gambia, The

Ghana

Guinea

Guinea-Bissau

Kenya

Lesotho

Liberia

Madagascar

Malawi

Mali

Mauritania

Mozambique

Namibia

Niger

Nigeria

Rwanda

São Tomé and Principe

Senegal

Sierra Leone

Somalia

South Africa

South Sudan

Sudan

Tanzania

Togo

Uganda

Zambia

Zimbabwe

Latin America & Caribbean

Argentina

Belize

Bolivia

Brazil

Colombia

Costa Rica

Cuba

Dominica

Dominican Republic

Ecuador

El Salvador

Grenada

Guatemala

Guyana

Haiti

Honduras

Jamaica

Mexico

Nicaragua

Paraguay

Peru

St. Lucia

St. Vincent and the Grenadines

Suriname

Venezuela, RB

TIMELINE

11:59pm, October 6th, 2025

OPEN CALL DEADLINE

October 31st, 2025

NOTIFICATION OF RESULTS

December, 2025

PRINT DEADLINE

Late January, 2026

EXHIBITION INSTALL

February 5th - March 5th, 2026

EXHIBITION OPEN