Photometria Awards Open Call 2026 “Coming of Age (18+)”
Photometria Awards Open Call 2026 “Coming of Age (18+)” is now open for entries!
The Photometria International Photography Festival is calling for entries to the Photometria Awards Open Call 2026 “Coming of Age (18+)”, exhibition contest now in its 18th edition, addressed to everyone who loves the art of photography.
Short description
The Photometria International Photography Festival is calling for entries to the Photometria Awards Open Call 2026 “Coming of Age (18+)”, international exhibition and photography competition now in its 18th year, addressed to everyone who loves the art of photography.
Photometria International Photography Festival is organized by “Entefxis”, a non-profit organization. Organized for the past 17 years in the city of Ioannina, Photometria is the first interactive photography festival in which everyone who loves the art of photography can participate.
As the festival reaches its 18th edition, it symbolically enters a phase of maturity, capable of reflecting on and exploring central issues of transition. Coming of Age (18+) focuses on the process of coming of age, not as a chronological or legal milestone, but as a multifaceted condition shaped by internal and social ruptures, redefinitions, and acts of self-determination.
Coming of Age (18+)
Innocence does not disappear, but is transformed, while the subject is constituted as conscious, responsible, and socially exposed. The theme centers on the emergence of autonomy: the individual ceases to function as an extension and is constituted as a distinct entity. The body becomes a field of meaning, desire, control, and assertion, while identity—gender, social roles, status—is subject to constant negotiation.
Thoughts on coming of age hover between childhood and responsibility, where play coexists with the weight of choices. “Permitted” and “forbidden” are understood not only as social rules, but also as internalized boundaries that are tested and reconfigured. In this context, the 18+ designation functions as a symbolic marker of a liminal state, signifying the tension between freedom and responsibility, the personal and the social.
The theme highlights personal and collective experiences of transition: first decisions, ruptures, moments of emancipation or conformity, as well as the social expectations that shape the concept of “adulthood.” Coming of age is approached as a dynamic field of tension between the past, social imperatives, and subjective choice.
“Coming of Age (18+)” provides a framework for reflection on the fragility, ambivalence, and boldness that accompany the transition to adulthood, prompting the audience to consider whether this constitutes a stable state or a constantly renegotiable condition.
You can participate with 1 photo or with 3 if you want to participate with payment.
The Festival will award three main prizes provided by sponsors and host an exhibition of the best 25 selected works.
In addition, one of the top three shortlisted winners will have the opportunity to participate in the next year’s festival with a solo exhibition.
The exhibition of the 25 selected photographs of the contest Photometria Awards 2026 is going to take place in Ioannina at the 18th Photometria International Photography Festival.
The top three winners will be announced at the festival opening.
Eligibility
Everyone who loves the art of photography can participate in this competition.
Prize
➜ 1st place: NIKON Z30 Kit NIKKOR Z DX 12-28mm f/3.5-5.6 PZ VR, sponsor courtesy by Damkalidis SΑ
➜ 2nd & 3rd place: A signed photo album by Alec Soth
Entry fees
Participation for 1 photo is free of charge, while up to 3 photos the cost is 5 euros, with each image size not exceeding 400 KB.
