What Makes this event different?
Public exposure. With sooo many photo awards and festival, there are actually only a few prominent photography festivals in Tokyo, showcasing international talent. Our intention is to bring your artwork to the vibrant streets and public spaces of Tokyo. And Tokyonites are great gourmets of fine visual arts! Professional Opportunities. Our secondary intention is to bring your artwork to the eyes and minds of Japanese photography community. Japanese curators and artists, academic scholard and culture producers join the festival events and are delighted to meet European talent. Networking Events. We hope You join the Event Week (October 23-29) and meet Japanese curators, photographers and producers, European diplomats that will become your future gateway to Japan. Japanese and Digital Media. Printed magazine, Dedicated online platform, heavy social media presence, dedicated Japanese media events. Your artwork and story is on the forefront.
Details
Dates. The festival is set from October 23rd to November 23rd, 2025.
Spaces. Exhibitions are held in public spaces of Tokyo: construction site walls (which are squeaky-clean), public venues, cafés and galleries, limited-edition drink coasters, buildings under reconstruction, etc.
Event Week. Opening event will take place on October 23rd. Other events, including Photojournalism Awards, panel talks, Art Auction for Ukraine, networking meetings will be held from October 23rd to 29th.
Who Can Apply
Shortly: every decent photographer. Open Call submission is free of charge.
Renowned photographers and emerging talents from around the world are invited to participate.
Photographer does not have to be a EU citizen.
Photographer has to be an adult and able to travel to Japan. A collective can also participate. Russian citizens are not eligible to apply.
Photography Works
Shortly: strong photo series; contemporary, expanded, journalistic, other. Photographers submit a set of 6-30 images that together form a cohesive series - a Photo Series.
The Photo Series should be produced no more than 5 years ago.
Photographer can submit more than one Photo Series through separate application.
The Photo Series has to follow the festival’s theme.
The Photo Series and images can be new or existing and previously exhibited.
Subject of the Photo Series is up to applicants: may it be portrait, landscape, still life, abstract, or other format, it is eligible as long as it corresponds to the theme of the festival.
The Photo Series will be displayed in public, thus we ask to be conscious about their submissions and to avoid disturbing, gore, erotic or otherwise not-publicly suitable imagery; if in doubt - feel free to contact us to consult.
Submitted and selected works will be used for publicity purposes of the festival.
If selected, photographers are asked to submit print-quality digital files (through safe channels, of course) to organizer. The photographs will be printed in Japan and destroyed after exhibition.
Theme: Reframing Realities
Shortly: abstractly about Europe. Reframing Realities explores the shifting viewpoints that define and redraw contemporary Europe. From vibrant European communities to fluid identities in a hyper-mediated digital age, the theme examines how realities—objective, personal, ecological, aesthetic—are continuously constructed, erased, and reimagined. As Europe navigates armed conflict, migration flows, and the pressures of the Anthropocene, photographers respond with images that blur the line between documentation and invention. In an era of self-curation, unrecognizable retouching and synthetic beauty, and vanishing biodiversity, this year’s theme asks: where do the edges lie—and who has the power to redraw them?
Best Series Award
Shortly: diplomatic fame, some money, decided by curators and partners. Each exhibited Photo Series is eligible to receive award. Award is presented during the Opening Ceremony. It is decided by festival curators and partners. The prize pool to be announced in September.
Timeline
9 June 2025. Open Call starts.
11 July 2025. Open Call closed.
Mid July 2025. Selected photographers announced.
September 2025. Map of exhibitions announced.
Exhibition Spaces
European Gift to Tokyo. Exhibitions are free and presented in public spaces: construction site walls (which are sparkling-clean in Japan), train and subway stations, parks, galleries and cafes, embassies and cultural centers. Accidental Encounter with Photography. SEEEU brings photography to new formats and new places, so we ask artists to trust our team of curators and producers to select new formats.
Walkable Map of Exhibitions. This will form a walkable map of European creativity in Tokyo.
New Formats. Part of exhibitions will be in a wildly new formats: on green fences, in a car parked publicly, on drink coasters or chopstick rests, etc. Curators will consult photographers.
