Decagon Gallery - International Photography Exhibition Open Call 2026
• Decagon Gallery
• Deadline: October 10th, 2026
• Theme: The Shape of a Life
• Prize: $1,000 Prize Pool + Online Exhibition
• Entry Fees: Yes
• REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE
Lives are not defined solely by significant events or major turning points. Instead, they are formed through countless everyday experiences—the familiar streets we walk, the people we cherish, the work that occupies our time, the possessions we hold onto, and the quiet moments that may seem insignificant until memory transforms them into something unforgettable. Photography has an extraordinary capacity to preserve these subtle fragments of life, capturing emotions, relationships, and experiences that might otherwise fade. Often, a single photograph can suggest an entire journey, inviting viewers to imagine the life that exists beyond the image.
Through The Shape of a Life, photographers are invited to explore the many ways human experience can be expressed visually. The subject might be another person, a family member, a friend, a stranger, or the photographer's own life. A meaningful story may emerge through a traditional portrait, an inhabited landscape, a personal living space, an expressive gesture, or a seemingly ordinary scene that quietly reveals something essential about identity and experience. The competition welcomes documentary, fine art, conceptual, and autobiographical work, encouraging photographers to focus on sincerity, insight, and emotional authenticity rather than following a specific artistic style.
The organizers are especially interested in photographs that move beyond simple description to communicate something deeper about the human experience. Images that reflect memory, identity, resilience, vulnerability, love, loss, connection, transformation, or the passage of time are particularly encouraged. The goal is to discover photographs that leave a lasting impression—images that invite careful observation, spark reflection, and offer viewers a deeper understanding of another person's life or of the shared experiences that connect us all.