We are gearing up for our 15th anniversary festival in 2026, and we cannot wait to see what you will bring. With the steadfast support of our longtime partners — Brooklyn Bridge Park, NYC Parks, and a vibrant network of cultural institutions and public spaces across the city — Photoville remains a platform for photographers, educators, and curators from around the world to share powerful visual stories that connect and inspire.
Our Photo Village will be returning to Brooklyn Bridge Park – with additional open-air exhibitions in NYC Parks, and other NYC cultural institutions and public spaces throughout the five boroughs.
Photoville is eager to showcase projects across all spectrums of visual storytelling. We welcome work across ALL genres: global narratives, local histories, studio portraiture, street photography, collaborative archives, community-driven projects, and interdisciplinary approaches. We are looking for work that helps us to better understand ourselves and the world around us.
Independent artists selected for the festival do not pay exhibition costs. Photoville covers all design, production and installation expenses to ensure equitable participation.
We’re thrilled to see your work and can’t wait to exhibit it across New York City!
Please be sure to submit ALL exhibition and programming proposals before the deadline!
Got questions about applying to Photoville Festival 2026?
Click here for some answers to your Frequently Asked Questions!
Still have a question? Please contact the Photoville team – info@photoville.com.
Photoville, in collaboration with PhotoWings, is excited to welcome back NYC educators for the 9th annual open call for the 2026 Photoville Educator Exhibition Grant. While receiving resources and support, educators in our community will have the opportunity to produce and exhibit their students’ work during the 2026 Photoville Festival.
The 2026 Educator Exhibition Grant invites NYC educators and students to showcase their work alongside artists and storytellers from across the globe right here in their home of NYC. For the past 7 years we have seen a vastly dynamic array of students’ work. This upcoming year, we are excited bring that back to our city, across all 5 boroughs!
The deadline to submit your proposal is Thursday, January 22, 2026, 11:59PM ET. If you have any questions, please reach out to Photoville’s Public Engagement Manager, Koren Martin at koren@photoville.com.
Submit your proposal for an Educator Exhibition Grant at Photoville Festival 2026 by Jan 22, 2026.
We are looking for ALL types of photographic and lens-based work. We welcome everything from documentary and photojournalism, to fine art, sports, and conceptual work. Alternative processes such as photo collage, tintypes, and cyanotypes are all welcome too! We encourage you to view some of our past exhibitions for inspiration.
We are looking for work that addresses various issues including immigration, healthcare, education, racial inequality, climate change, social justice, incarceration, women’s rights, youth and intergenerational stories, police reform, housing, joy, and so much more.
We do ask you to remember that this is a public festival that will be on view in highly-trafficked public spaces. Please avoid images that may be shocking — particularly images of nudity, sexual intercourse, drug use, or violence.
All photo-based artists (and collectives, organizations, and companies representing this work) are welcome to apply! There is no limit or prerequisite regarding artist age, professional qualifications, or time period the work was made in.
There are three applications — two for exhibitions (open to all photo-based artists, collectives, non-profit organizations and commercial entities), and one for public programming (for anyone interested in presenting a talk, workshop, or interactive experience). Please make sure to use the application that best matches your situation.
Keep in mind that you can submit more than one proposal in any category. If you are deciding between submitting a proposal for an open-air or a container exhibition, there are several things to consider:
If you have one project that could work for either an open-air or container exhibition, submit it only once to your preferred format, and note in your application that you would like to be considered for both.
Later this month, you can submit your proposal for your students’ work to be showcased during the 2026 Photoville Festival here! In partnership with PhotoWings, Photoville will be providing educators with resources and support in producing an exhibit showcasing students’ work. If you have more questions on what kind of work we’re looking for or how to prepare your proposal, visit the info page or send an email to our Public Engagement Manager, Koren Martin at koren@photoville.com.
Selected artists will have a one-on-one virtual meeting with the Photoville team to discuss the specifics of their exhibition. This will include information about curatorial, technical, and financial elements.
All selected artists will be expected to work with the Photoville team to produce their exhibition. This may mean designing your own exhibition and working with the Photoville team to make sure it’s print-ready for a large-scale exhibition. Or this may mean providing high resolution files and copy edited text to the Photoville team to design, and then working with them to proof and finalize your exhibition.
If you are a selected artist or artist-led collective that DOES NOT have any institutional support or sponsorship, we will cover the cost of printing, exhibition structures, installation, public liability insurance, publicity, and will pay a modest artist honorarium. The honorarium amount will vary and is dependent on the number of artists we will be supporting, the scope and size of the project, and the materials we will use to produce the exhibition.
If you are a selected artist or artist-led collective that DOES have institutional support or sponsorship, there may be a financial contribution required, which will be assessed based on your exhibition proposal. Please see the next section for further details.
If you are a non-profit or commercial entity and are supporting the work of a selected proposal, there will be a financial contribution required, which will be assessed based on your exhibition proposal.
If you are a selected artist or artist-led collective with sponsorship, there will be a financial contribution required, which will be assessed based on your exhibition proposal.
Depending on the scope of your exhibition, design and production needs, the required financial contribution can fall in the range of:
Artists and curators WITHOUT any financial support are eligible for a Photoville sponsored exhibition, if selected. Please see the previous section for further details.
Please note that production costs (materials, rentals, and staffing) have skyrocketed in the past few years and, at a minimum, your contribution will cover the cost of printing, exhibition structures, installation, public liability insurance, security, and publicity. We can also discuss the cost of design, curation, and other services we can offer, as applicable.
It takes a community to build a village and Photoville is no exception. Photoville wouldn’t be possible without the support of our wonderful partners.
There are many ways to partner with us! Fill out this short form for more information and we’ll be in touch.
Just like in 2025, we will have our classic shipping containers in Brooklyn Bridge Park, joined by open-air photo exhibits and activations. On opening weekend, the village will host a range of programs (artist talks, workshops, screenings and more) which you can apply for via this form. The containers will house photo installations and you can apply for one via this form.
Yes! In addition to our Brooklyn Bridge Park photo village, we will be partnering with NYC Parks and other NYC cultural institutions and public spaces to exhibit open-air installations and you can submit a proposal for one of these exhibits via this form.
Photoville Festival is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.
This website was made possible thanks to the generous support and partnership of 