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OPEN CALL: A Celebration of Contemporary Photography – Call for Entries
Juror: Paula Tognarelli – Deadline: June 8, 2026
PhotoPlace Gallery invites photographers worldwide to submit work for Open Call: A Celebration of Contemporary Photography, a juried exhibition honoring the creativity, diversity, and evolving practice of photography today.
Presented in celebration of World Photography Day (August 19th), this exhibition is one of PhotoPlace Gallery’s most open and inclusive calls of the year, welcoming all photographic subjects, styles, and processes. From landscape, portraiture, and documentary to conceptual, experimental, and alternative practices, photographers are encouraged to submit their strongest work.
Whether your work is traditional or experimental, personal or universal, this exhibition is an opportunity to showcase where your photography is today.
We are honored to have Paula Tognarelli and Zach Hoffman as jurors for After Dark: Night, Sky, and Shadows. They will select up to 35 images for exhibition in our Middlebury, Vermont gallery and another 40 images for our Online Gallery. All 75 images will be reproduced in the exhibition catalog and remain permanently on our website and are promoted on social media with links to photographers' URLs.
JUROR:
Paula recently retired after a long run as Executive Director of the Griffin Museum of Photography in Winchester, MA. As the executive director she produced approximately 54 exhibitions per year having started as an intern in 2001. She graduated from Boston University’s Masters in Art Administration program in 2003. Prior to a museum career, she spent 25 years in the printing industry contributing greatly to the graphic arts industry’s efforts of moving analog processes to completely digital workflows.
Paula frequently reviewed at national and local portfolio events and jumpstarted hundreds of photographers’ careers. She has also juried and curated well over 100 exhibitions for other institutions nationally and internationally..
Zach Hoffman is a photographer, educator, and advocate for the arts, deeply committed to fostering Vermont’s creative community—a place he proudly calls home.
He graduated from Montana State University in 2012 with a Bachelor of Arts in Film and Photography, followed by a Master’s degree in Photographic Arts from Lesley University in 2014. Since then, Zach has devoted his career to practicing and teaching analog photography, bridging artistic expression with education.
In 2015, he served as an adjunct professor at Montana State University, where he mentored aspiring photographers. He also founded and operated a thriving community darkroom in Bozeman, Montana, creating a space for collaboration and hands-on learning until his move to Vermont in 2020.
That same year, Zach joined PhotoPlace Gallery, quickly becoming an integral part of its mission to elevate photographic arts. In 2025, he took on a leadership role by purchasing the gallery, ensuring its continued dedication to showcasing exceptional photography and supporting artists at all stages of their careers.
For Zach, Vermont is more than just a place to live—it is a creative home and an extended family. Through his work at PhotoPlace Gallery, he remains deeply committed to strengthening the local arts scene, fostering meaningful connections, and championing photographers both regionally and globally.
AWARDS:
Juror’s Award $300, Director’s Award $200, 3 Honorable Mentions $50
All selected photographers will have work published in printed catalog available for purchase and be featured on our website and social media.
ENTRY GUIDELINES:
Fee: $39 for up to 5 images, $6 for each additional image
- File format: JPG or JPEG only
- Size: Up to 5MB closed file size
- Resolution: ~2100 pixels on the longest side, 300ppi recommended
- Color space: sRGB recommended for both B&W and color
- Compression: 7–8 quality setting in Photoshop or equivalent
- All entries must be uploaded via the online form through our website
TIMELINE:
- Deadline: June 8, 2026
- Notification of Acceptance: June 22, 2026
- Exhibition: August 7-29, 2026
COPYRIGHT & USAGE:
Photographers retain full copyright and all rights to their submitted images. Selection for a PhotoPlace Gallery exhibition does not in any way transfer ownership or copyright to PhotoPlace Gallery.
If one or more of your images are selected by the juror for exhibition, you grant PhotoPlace Gallery a non-exclusive, royalty-free license to use the selected image(s) solely for the following purposes:
- Reproduction in the printed and/or digital exhibition catalog
- Display on the PhotoPlace Gallery website and exhibition pages
- Promotion of the current and future exhibitions via social media, email newsletters, and other gallery-related marketing, with credit to the photographer wherever feasible
This license is limited to promotion and documentation of the exhibit and does not permit any commercial sale, licensing, or use beyond these purposes without your explicit written permission.
GALLERY DETAILS:
ADDRESS: PhotoPlace Gallery, 3 Park Street, Middlebury VT
WEBSITE: Photoplacegallery.com
EMAIL: photos@photoplacegallery.com
FACEBOOK: facebook.com/photoplacegallery
INSTAGRAM: Instagram.com/photoplacegallery
ABOUT US:
At PhotoPlace Gallery, we are passionate about photography and the artists who create it. Each month, we curate juried exhibitions that invite photographers from around the world to share their work based on unique themes. Our exhibitions are judged by internationally recognized jurors, with selected works displayed in our Middlebury, Vermont gallery and all juror selections showcased permanently on our website.
Since 2009, we have been dedicated to providing photographers with meaningful opportunities for exposure, recognition, and professional growth. We ensure that artists retain full rights to their work while benefiting from expertly curated exhibitions, professional promotion, and an engaged audience of collectors and enthusiasts.
For more information about this call for entries, please visit The Event Website.
