Photo Competition and Residency for Belarusian Photographers 2026 — Finalists of Public Presentations and Online Catalogue announced

We are happy to announce the finalists of Part 1 and Part 2 of the Photo Competition and Residency for Belarusian Photographers 2026.

The open call invited photographers of Belarusian origin to submit photography-based projects at an advanced stage of development: completed within the last three years, currently in production, or close to completion.

We received 35 applications from Belarusian photographers based in different countries.

The submitted projects were reviewed by an international jury:

István Virágvölgyi artistic director of the Robert Capa Contemporary Photography Center in Budapest, curator, photo editor, and lecturer
Anna Karpenko curator and author of texts who has curated exhibitions and research projects with institutions such as Museum Sztuki in Łódź, GfZK Leipzig, and ifa Gallery Berlin.
Emmanuelle Halkin independent curator and editor working with emerging and socially engaged photography, and a member of the artistic committee of the Circulation(s) festival in Paris.

The call is divided into three parts:

Part 1. Public Presentations

live presentations of selected projects during Fotofestiwal 2026 in Łódź, taking place on 27 June 2026 as part of the festival programme.

Part 2. Online Catalogue

publication of selected projects in an online catalogue (PDF), which will be distributed through Fotofestiwal’s online channels and within local and international professional networks.

Part 3. Residency

a one-week residency in Poland in October 2026.
The finalists recommended for the Residency will be announced separately at a later stage.