Image: FUTURES Annual Event 2025 hosted by Fotograf Zone in Prague. Image Credit: Martin Alex Spicak
PhotoIreland launches the 9th FUTURES Talent Call for artists, opening the opportunity to all Ireland and UK practitioners. The 2026 call is now open and will close at 6pm Sunday 21st December 2025.
FUTURES Talent Call 2026
PhotoIreland and FUTURES provide selected participants with:
- A participation fee of €500
- Futures Conversations with international professionals, online and in-person
- Travel, accommodation, and per diem for artists is covered for participation in the Annual Event. The Annual Event of 2026 takes place in October in Utrecht, Netherlands, hosted by Fotodok.
- Participation in the programme of the Annual Event, including talks, workshops etc.
- Opportunity to apply to the internal open call for the annual travelling exhibition, which in 2026 takes place and is curated by FOTODOK (NL), ISSP (LV), and Triennial of Photography Hamburg (DE), with Fotograf Zone (CZ) as publishing partner.
- Opportunity to apply for a mentorship session with FUTURES member organisations
- Access to exclusive Magnum workshops especially developed for FUTURES artists.
- All FUTURES artists are featured online at futures-photography.com
- All artists are promoted via the FUTURES social media channels and the annual publication
Access Bursaries
In addition, PhotoIreland provides access bursaries for artists. The purpose of the Access Bursary is to provide an equal opportunity for all artists by facilitating and accommodating those with specific requirements and circumstances that normally prevent the artist from participating fully in their practice. If you may require some financial support to enable your participation due to accessibility reasons, please include these in your application, including an estimate of costs. Examples of accessibility costs may include (but are not exclusive to) financial support towards: a caretaker; parental support (co-parent assistance, childminder, etc); transport; overnight stay; technical support and others.
If you are experiencing any barriers with the application process, please email us [email protected]
Application Process
1- SUBMISSION
Before 6pm Sunday 21st December 2025, submit your work by emailing a single PDF file to [email protected], including the word FUTURES in the subject, containing:
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- Your 200 words max. bio in third person
- Your artist statement
- Your CV
- A description of your latest project in 500 words max. including all details as needed (year, location of project, etc.)
- A selection of low resolution images that represent your latest project (make sure these are optimised for web use, PDFs with large files will be sent back)
- Brief information of past projects if any (links are accepted)
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Once you submit the requested files, you should expect acknowledgement from us within 2 working days.
2- FOLLOW UP
After the jury process is completed, we will send an update to all artists. If you are selected, you will be required to send right away high resolution files at 300dpi, in flattened TIFF format, 4500px on the long side, as follows:
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- A selection of 15 images from your submitted work
- Your portrait
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We do not extend deadlines, so it is very important you give yourself plenty of time in case of technical errors, or to ask any questions, as problems cannot be resolved in the final few hours of the submission.
The deadline for submissions is 6pm Sunday 21st December 2025.
Schedule
Deadline 6pm Sunday 21st December 2025
Confirmation of receipt within 48 hours
Jury Process 22 December 2025-18 January 2026
All Artists Contacted before 23rd January 2026
Final Materials (if selected) due strictly by 30 January 2026
About the FUTURES Platform
Co-funded by the Creative Europe Programme of the European Union, FUTURES Photography Platform is a platform focused on amplifying emerging talents in photography in Europe. Since 2017, the aim of FUTURES Photography Platform is to pool the resources and talent programmes of leading photography institutions across Europe in order to increase the capacity, mobility and visibility of its selected artists. The FUTURES Photography Platform has grown since 2018 a collaborative network of 21 prominent institutions operating in the field of photography around Europe. These are: Bienal Fotografia do Porto (PT), CAMERA – Centro Italiano per la Fotografia (IT), Centre de la photographie Genève (CH), Centre Photographique Rouen Normandie (FR), Copenhagen Photo Festival (DK), Der Greif (DE), FOMU (BE), FOTODOK (NL), Fotofestiwal Lodz (PL), Fotogalleriet (NO), Fotograf Zone (CZ), ISSP (LV), Odesa Photo Days Festival (UA), Organ Vida (HR), Photo Elysée (CH), Photoforum Pasquart (CH), PhotoIreland (IE), Photo Romania Festival (RO), Robert Capa Contemporary Photography Center (HU), Triennial of Photography Hamburg (DE), and Void (GR).
In addition to the many local events and opportunities organised by the FUTURES members, an annual event brings together all artists and arts professionals from the platform. The format and events programmed change every year and in the past have included our presence at Unseen Amsterdam, involving a showcase of all the Futures artists, a special exhibition of a smaller selection of Futures artists, portfolio reviews, special Futures magazine publication, in addition to events like artists and members talks, networking opportunities etc. Beyond this work, the platform artists are promoted online, in publications, and have a profile page on the FUTURES website, where their work is featured: futures-photography.com/artists
Since its inception, PhotoIreland has been the Irish member of the platform. Being invited as funding member was a clear sign of recognition of our work and ambition, and it has given us the opportunity to work in cooperation with many respected organisations, accessing and supporting exciting contemporary practices by artists and curators, while allowing us to promote Irish artists in the European arena.
To date, PhotoIreland has put forward 40 artists for the platform. They are: Aindreas Scholz, Aisling McCoy, Aoife Herrity, Audrey Gillespie, Barry W Hughes, Becks Butler, Berta Mars, Chris Finnegan, Cian Burke, Ciaran Óg Arnold, Clare Lyons, Debbie Castro, Dorje de Burgh, Emilia Rigaud, Emma O’Brien, Garry Loughlin, George Voronov, Henri Kisielewski, Jamin Keogh, Jialin Long, Leon Nevill Gallagher, Mark Duffy, Mark McGuinness, Megan Doherty, Miriam O’ Connor, Nazlı Yıldırım, Niamh Barry, Patrick O’Byrne, Pauline Rowan, Phelim Hoey, Róisín White, Ronan McCall, Ryan Allen, Sarah Navan, Shane Hynan, Shia Conlon, Tudor Rhys Etchells, Vera Ryklova, Yvette Monahan, and Zoe Hamill. These Irish FUTURES artists were selected having carefully considered their practice and their career.
