Take part in the next edition of the FORMAT International Photography Festival

FORMAT19 is delighted to announce the festival theme FOREVER//NOW and welcomes diverse and imaginative proposals from international photographers, curators, artists and collectives in response to this exciting dual concept.

Our eminent panel of international experts and the FORMAT Curators will view the submissions and select 35 projects to be exhibited at FORMAT19 in the spring of 2019.

Invited from around the world, our Advisory Jury includes: Erik Kessels (Netherlands), Gwen Lee (Singapore), He Yining (China), Sarah Allen (UK), Brian Griffin(UK), Sebastian Arthur Hau (France), Tim Clark (UK), Wang Baoguo (China), Yumi Goto (Japan), Huw Davies (UK), Louise Fedotov-Clements (UK), Anna-Alix Koffi (France)

FOREVER//NOW is the theme for FORMAT19, featuring contemporary and archival photography the festival will explore our attachment to the idea of FOREVER and how through photography we seek to represent our everchanging world, society, lands and histories.

We have divided the theme into two parts, firstly looking at how the concept of FOREVER seems to be almost built into the very nature of humanity and the photograph as a recorded moment, manipulated memory or idea. We know that throughout history from the Chinese Dynasties to Brexit, that all empires will fall, but at the time we feel that they will last forever. The theme also responds to major world events and the zeitgeist of the archive, past and present, found and lost; its history, purpose and uses. FOREVER is about memory and bearing witness, the theme touches on upon our obsession to record and share the continuous moment of ‘our’ lives.

Even as we endeavour to extend subjects through photography, time and material can never be endless, it is a difficult concept to pin down and the immortality that photography seems to offer is always just out of reach. Alongside the mass production of pictures and our seemingly endless desire to be seen, there are calls for digital anonymity and campaigns around the right to be forgotten or to opt out. FOREVER//NOW is a contested idea that we invite you to think widely about, there are many ways to perceive it.

The second element of our theme – NOW, simply asks you to look at your contemporary work and the send us the best of your current practice.

We are looking for a wide range of submissions and are open to all approaches and ideas from the archive to the most contemporary and conceptual projects. We are inviting proposals from all the image-based genres, including long term researched documentary; multimedia; VR; moving image; installation; publications; web-based; interactive; performance; participatory; mobile; interactive; and conceptual. We want you to challenge us and respond to the theme in as many inventive ways as you can imagine.

Selected entries will be given the opportunity to exhibit at FORMAT19 and a chance to receive one of the festival awards. All submissions will receive the opportunity to be seen by our panel of industry experts and FORMAT Curators.

We want to see what you are doing, making, thinking FOREVER//NOW.

Everyone who applies will receive

Visibility with the FORMAT19 international jury and FORMAT Curators
The opportunity to be featured in the FORMAT19 online gallery
The opportunity to be featured on the FORMAT Festival curated Instagram feed

Application Fees and Deadlines

Application fee, Early Bird €35 (Until 31st July 2018, 11pm GMT)
Application fee, Standard €40 (after 31st July, 11pm GMT)

For full details of how to apply please see our FAQS which contains information regarding application guidelines.

Each application fee will cover just one project of up to 20 images and can include reference to moving image, installation shots, ideas and composite images . We welcome submissions from all over the world, from photographers; curators; artists; collectives and institutions