Autoportrait 2025 – Kuala Lumpur Photography Award: Experimental Self-Portraits and Portrait Prize

• Kuala Lumpur Portrait Award

• Deadline: October 31st, 2025

• Category: Experimental Self Portraits

• Prize: €1,000 + Exhibition in Malaysia

• Entry Fees: Yes

• REGISTRATION: CLOSED. Click HERE for more Opportunities

After the overwhelming success of our very first AUTOPORTRAIT open call, we are thrilled to announce the 2025 Interim Edition, which returns with the thought-provoking theme of Experimental Self-Portraits. This special category dares participants to expand the boundaries of traditional portraiture and embrace new, uncharted ways of seeing and representing themselves.

To create an experimental self-portrait is to take risks. It is to move beyond the familiar idea of a simple reflection or likeness, and instead explore personal narratives through abstraction, transformation, and imagination. These works may reveal hidden aspects of identity, embody fleeting emotions, or reinvent the artist’s image in unconventional forms that surprise and provoke thought.

KLPA embraces a wide spectrum of approaches, from the tactile world of analogue photography—handcrafted processes, alternative printing, experimental film techniques—to the infinite possibilities of digital media. Both realms offer unique opportunities for artists to disrupt expectations and craft portraits that go beyond surface appearances. However, in line with our values, we emphasize that AI-generated images are not accepted, as we aim to preserve the authenticity of the artist’s own vision and process.

This year, a fresh panel of selectors has been invited to judge the submissions. Their focus will be on originality, experimentation, and the stories embedded within each work. Above all, they will be searching for portraits that stand alone as powerful artistic explorations of the self.