Rhode Island Center for Photographic Arts - Landscapes: Real or Imagined

• Rhode Island Center for Photographic Arts

• Deadline: September 14th, 2025

• Theme: Landscapes: Real or Imagined

• Prize: $150 + Exhibition in Providence (USA)

• Entry Fees: Yes

• REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE

This call for submissions is motivated by an ongoing conversation about the shifting definitions of the landscape genre in photography. Our aim is to consider, with both critical and creative intent, how we frame the landscapes around us — which sites are chosen for celebration, which are preserved through acts of remembrance, and how these choices influence our collective vision of a better future.

We invite photographers, visual artists, and image-makers of all backgrounds to explore, document, and interpret the vast continuum of landscapes — from untouched wilderness to heavily modified human environments, from the sublime to the mundane. Submissions may also include works that engage with the concept of “landscape” in unconventional ways: abstract interpretations, optical illusions, or scenes born entirely from the imagination. In short, if it reads as a landscape to you, it belongs in this conversation.

The tradition of landscape photography has been shaped by 19th-century masters such as Carleton Watkins and William Henry Jackson, and further refined in the 20th century by artists like Ansel Adams, whose work continues to define the popular conception of the field. While these contributions remain foundational, our curatorial vision extends beyond the inherited canon. This exhibition seeks to present a richer, more diverse representation of contemporary landscape practice — one that reflects today’s cultural, environmental, and technological realities while opening new possibilities for the future of the genre.