Our Open Call Competition 2026
Our Finalists
The standard of entries was very high and our judges had a hard time selecting the finalists. Thanks to everyone who entered and a big congratulations to all our finalists. Winners will be announced on the evening of 2nd May 2026.
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Alexandra Avlonitis @alexandraavlonitis
Amy Horowitz @dont_smile_nyc
Andrea Klausner @andrea.klausner
Andrew Glickman @andrew.glickman
Anil Purohit www.anilpurohit.com
Bettina Brunswig @bb.streetphoto
Cristiano Bartoli @bartolicristiano
Daniel Kashi @0_daniel_kashi_0
David Callinan @larrydavey_
Dietmar Temps @dietmartemps.street
Eléonore Botton @eleonore_botton_photography
Emiliano Cuadrado @emiernest_cr
Eric Davidove @edovephotos
Fatin Falcon @heyitsfalcon
Federico Borobio @federico.borobio
Gavin Libotte @gavinlibottestreets
Gerald Gutschmidt
www.geraldgutschmidt.comGhawam Kouchaki @ghawam.kouchaki
Giuseppe Cardoni
Goutam Maiti @goutam_on_street
Jamie Ball @jwpball
Jason Au @jasonaucs
Jeffrey De Keyser @jeffrey_dekeyser
Jens Kruse @jfkstreetphotography
Joseph Barretto @josephjbarretto
Julachart Pleansanit @longstreet_bob
Julio Marchamalo @juliomarchamalo
Karlynne Wintels @Wintels_Photography
Kelly Conlin @kellyconlinphotography
Kenji Wada @yohane83
Kerry Faulkner @kerryfaulk
Kevin McCann @krookiebgoode
Kim Keller @pho.to.olney
Kris Wojcik @nocnytramwaj
Kruno Debenc @krunodebenc
Kyle Spears @kylespearsphotography
Levi Goldbaum @levi_goldbaum
Luca Regoli @luca_regoli_street
Marcella Mastrorocco @marcella_mastrorocco
Margarita Gasca @die.basilisk
Mary Kay Kirsner @mary_kay_kirsner
Maude Bardet @puuuuuuuuce
Michael Eugster @michael.eugster.photo
Miguelangel Cabrera @macab_photo
Never Edit @never.edit
Olly Headey @ollyheadey
Pamela Brady @pamelabrady_photography
Patti Lamm @pattilammphotography
Perry Hall @perryhallphoto
Phatsakorn Bundasak @dave_street_photo
Rattanun Rungpittaryaton @champ.raa
Roopsha Samanta @roopsha
Sakulchai Sikitikul @sakulchai_sikitikul
Scott Little @scottlittle
Sean O’Rourke @seanorourkeartist
Sebastien Durand @flymetothestreet
Stephen Bonati @stevebonati
Sunny Quintero @sunnyquintero
Todd Visser @zoomento-1
Tracey Suba @traceysuba
Wendy Connett @wendyconnett
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Agi Modlinska @agimodlinska
Alan Harrison @vaarjak
Alexandra Thannhaeuser @alex_uniqueye
Amy Horowitz @dont_smile_nyc
Bart Azare @bartdoetdestraat
Bego Amare @begoama
Benny vanderPlank @bennyvanderplank
David Callinan @larrydavey_
David Swift @davidjuggles
Davide Riccardo @davr_88
France Leclerc @franceleclerc
Gavin Libotte @gavinlibottestreets
Giuseppe Cardoni
Gregory Dunn @stoneybutter
Harry Flaherty @documcr
Hector Faya @hectorfaya
Hezy Holzman
Jacqueline Anders @inthestreetsofmunich
Jeff Rothstein @jeffrothsteinphotos
Joanna Madloch @joanna_madloch
Julio Marchamalo @juliomarchamalo
Kelly Conlin www.kellyconlinphotography.com
Lazaros Spaias @laz_street.snaps
Liban Elmi @liban.photo
Ludovic Vievard @lvd0v
Mal McCann @malmccann
Marijn Schulte @marijnschulte
Mario Schneider @marioschneiderkunst
Mark Grant @marklukegrant
Mark Lamb @dark_inventions
Nadia Eeckhout @nadia.eeckhout4
Paul Napo @paul_napo
Pierluigi Meduri @pierlumed
Shrikanth Poojari @seeccoo25
Marijn Schulte @marijnschulte
Sebastien Durand @flymetothestreet
Sonia Simbolo @soniasimbolo
Sunny Quintero @sunnyquintero
Susanne Bartels @susanne_bartels_photoartist
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Andrew Glickman @andrew.glickman
Aude Delannoy Dib @mabota11
Daniel Ramos @_histogrammer
David Niu @davids_art_street
Guille Ibanez @guilleibanez_photo
Hector Faya @hectorfaya_
Michele Zousmer @michelezousmerphoto
Wolfgang Zurborn @zurborn
Our Selection and Judging Process Explained
In order to provide transparency and fairness, we are publishing the Selection and Judging Process agreed by our judges.
The role of judging involves selecting the most impactful, original, and technically excellent photographs that represent the best of contemporary street photography for the Dublin Street Photography Festival.
Competition Categories
The competition features three distinct categories.
1. Single Image
Category Focus: A powerful candid street photograph that captures a unique moment, atmosphere, or narrative in a public space.
What It Means: This category seeks a standalone image that is impactful, well-composed, and tells a compelling story without relying on any other images. Judging focuses on the individual image's strength, timing, and visual execution.
2. Series
Category Focus: A cohesive set of 5 to 10 candid street photographs that explore a specific theme, location, or narrative over time.
What It Means: A Series requires all images to work together to present a deeper perspective or ongoing story. Each image must contribute significantly to the overall statement. The jury will assess the consistency, flow, and combined impact of the collection.
3. Street Portrait
Category Focus: A single photograph focusing on a human subject in a public environment, where the individual is the main focus of the composition.
What It Means: This category celebrates spontaneous engagement with a subject, with minimal or no directorial input, for the purpose of creating an environmental or street portrait. Ideally, the subject should be the one deciding how to present themselves in that moment.
Judging Criteria
Judges must evaluate entries based on a balanced assessment of the following factors being mindful of each category focus:
Impact and Emotion: Does the image immediately grab attention? Does it evoke a strong emotion, curiosity, or recognition of the human condition?
Originality and Vision: Does the photograph offer a fresh perspective? Does it move beyond the typical snapshot to demonstrate a unique photographic eye and style?
Composition and Storytelling: Is the frame well-constructed, using elements like light, lines, and shape effectively? Does the image clearly convey a candid moment, narrative, or connection to the street environment?
Technical Excellence: Is the focus sharp where intended, is the exposure appropriate for the mood, and is the overall presentation high quality?
All images will be presented without the photographers name on view.
Selection Process
Preselection Committee: A preselection committee will select a shortlist of entries to be presented to the Main Jury Panel. The preselection committee will consist of the three current winners of DSPF: Tuna Alp Angel, Tom Pitts, and Bouwe Brouwer.
Main Jury Panel: A specialised street photography jury will select the finalists and winners. The panel will feature internationally recognised street photographers: Meryl Meisler, Stuart Paton, Argus Paul Estabrook, and The Bragdon Brothers.
Single Image:
Decisive Moment and Stand-Alone Strength. The image must function powerfully in isolation.
A shortlist of 250 single images will be selected by the preselection committee (these will be exhibited digitally during DSPF 2026).
From the shortlist: Each Judge selects 12 Finalists + 10 Alternates (ranked 1 to 10)
60 Finalists will be exhibited
Series:
Cohesion and Depth of Narrative. How well the images work together to explore a singular theme or story over time.
A shortlist of 30 series will be selected by the preselection committee (these will be exhibited digitally during DSPF 2026).
From the shortlist: Each Judge selects 2 Final Series + 2 Alternates (ranked 1 to 2)
8 Finalists will be exhibited
Street Portrait:
Connection and Context. This category celebrates spontaneous engagement with a subject, with minimal or no directorial input, for the purpose of creating an environmental or street portrait. Ideally, the subject should be the one deciding how to present themselves in that moment.
A shortlist of 150 images will be selected by the preselection committee (these will be exhibited digitally during DSPF 2026).
From the shortlist: Each Judge selects 8 Finalists + 5 Alternates (ranked 1 to 5)
40 Finalists will be exhibited
Why Finalists and Alternates:
Finalists: These are the priority selections that must be included in the final exhibition pool.
Alternates: These images serve as substitutes in the event of any duplicate selections across the judging panel or if a finalist is later disqualified. We strive to include as many photographers in our finalist selection as possible - we will limit each photographer to one entry in the finalist pool of each category (no matter how many images entered into the competition) and alternate selections may be used for this purpose.
Prize Winners Selection
1st, 2nd and 3rd prize in each category will be selected by the Jury Chairperson: Meryl Meisler
Competition Entry Requirements
Open to all photographers globally, aged 18 years or older by the entry deadline.
No restriction on photography experience.
Photographs must be candid, spontaneous and captured in public spaces.
Submissions must be original work by the entrant.
AI-generated or digitally manipulated images (beyond standard editing) are ineligible. Meta data verification will apply.
Colour or black and white photos accepted.
Photos must not contain watermarks, signatures, or frames
Content deemed by the Curatorship to be sexually explicit, nude, obscene, violent, or otherwise inappropriate will be disqualified.
No restrictions on the camera model or type used, including mobile phone cameras.
No drone photography will be considered.
The jury’s decision is final and cannot be appealed.
By participating in this competition, photographers grant the organisers the right to publish, exhibit and post the photos on social media to promote the festival, provided the creators’ names are mentioned, without remuneration.
The copyright of the photographs belongs to their creators.
Photographs submitted to the competition must be original works and the exclusive intellectual property of the participating photographer.
The Festival bears no responsibility for any claim, objection or complaint relating to copyright or personality rights. Responsibility lies solely with the participating photographer.
All prints will be destroyed once the exhibition has ended.
No refunds are provided once your entry has been submitted.
Participation in the competition implies full and unconditional acceptance of its terms and conditions. Any violation or non-compliance with these terms and conditions will result in exclusion from the evaluation process.
Time Restrictions on Photography Capture
To ensure the Dublin Street Photography Festival competition features new and contemporary work, we implement the following capture time limitations:
Single Image and Street Portrait Categories: Photographs submitted must have been captured between 1 January 2024 and 1 February 2026. This restriction promotes the consideration of new and fresh work for selection and exhibition.
Series Category: Recognising that series projects often require considerable time for development and completion, entries in the Series category are exempt from any time restriction. You may submit cohesive projects regardless of the capture dates, provided the work adheres to all other eligibility rules.
Submission Guidelines
To ensure a smooth judging and potential exhibition process, please comply with these technical requirements:
Format
.jpg
Colour Space
RGB
Dimensions
Widest side must be between 1500 and 2000 pixels.
File Size
Approx. 1.5 MB per photo.
File Name
Name single and street portrait files as: Surname_Name_PhotoNumber.jpg
(e.g., Murphy_Anna_01.jpg)
Name series files as: Surname_Name_SeriesTitle_PhotoNumber.jpg
(e.g., Murphy_Anna_Moments_01.jpg)
Finalist Notification
& Exhibition Files:
Finalists will receive an email notification if their work is selected as one of the finalist photographers.
Selected photographers must within 48 hours provide a high-resolution file for printing purposes and the original RAW file (if available):
Format: .jpg and RAW (if available)
Real Printing Size: 60 x 40 cm