Decagon Gallery - "The Shape of a Life" 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

The story of a life is rarely told through its greatest accomplishments alone. More often, it is revealed through everyday moments, familiar places, lasting relationships, personal rituals, treasured belongings, and experiences that may seem ordinary at first but later become deeply meaningful. Photography has the unique power to preserve these quiet details, allowing them to speak across time and reminding us that even the smallest moments can carry profound emotional significance. A single image is sometimes enough to suggest an entire personal history.

The Shape of a Life encourages photographers to explore how the essence of a person's life can be communicated through visual storytelling. The subject may be someone close, someone unknown, or the photographer themselves. Participants are invited to look beyond conventional portraiture and consider how identity can also emerge through landscapes, domestic spaces, gestures, everyday routines, or subtle interactions that reveal character and experience. The competition embraces documentary photography, fine art, conceptual work, and personal projects, welcoming diverse creative approaches and individual interpretations of the theme.

The focus is not simply on depicting a person but on expressing the experiences that have shaped them. The organizers seek photographs that convey memory, belonging, resilience, vulnerability, change, and human connection with honesty and sensitivity. They are looking for images that inspire viewers to linger, reflect, and discover deeper layers of meaning—photographs that communicate not only what is visible but also the emotions, histories, and stories that exist beyond the frame.