The call for applications for the ShowOFF Section 2026 has launched. ShowOFF is one of the main program blocks of Krakow Photomonth, dedicated to presenting new, often debut projects by emerging visual artists working primarily with photography. Applications can be submitted until November 5, 2025.
The ShowOFF Section is one of the three main components of the Krakow Photomonth 2026 festival programme, closely followed by the public and, crucially, by industry specialists -curators, critics, and representatives of institutions and galleries. The ShowOFF Section serves as a promotional platform for young artists who are just beginning their professional careers and for whom the festival can be a place for a debut before an international audience.
Applicants may submit a completed or unfinished, previously unshown photographic project (up to 15 images) or a video project. Each participant may submit a maximum of two projects. Applications must be prepared in English and submitted via the Picter platform. The participation fee is 25 EUR for one project and 35 EUR for two projects for applications submitted by October 22, 2025. From October 23 to November 5, the fee is 35 EUR and 45 EUR, respectively.
Six projects will be selected and presented as solo exhibitions during the 22nd edition of the festival, scheduled for May 14 – June 16, 2026. Each winner will receive a production budget and the opportunity to work with a selected jury member who will act as a curator and mentor. During workshops in Kraków and individual consultations, the winners will work with curators on all aspects of preparing the exhibition—from selection and production of works, through arrangement and framing, to texts, promotion, and preparing a commercial strategy.
„Participation in the ShowOFF Section can be the start of an international career for emerging artists, as it was for Weronika Gęsicka or Diana Lelonek and many other artists,” emphasises Tomasz Gutkowski from the Foundation of Visual Arts, the organiser of Krakow Photomonth. „The most important and most satisfying aspect of participating in ShowOFF is the collaborative work on the artistic project, which doesn’t end solely with the individual presentation at the Kraków festival but can evolve into a series of exhibitions in renowned galleries or at international festivals.”
This year’s jury includes: Aneta Grzeszykowska – one of Poland’s most important contemporary artists working with photography and video; Turnus – a curatorial and artistic collective (Kamila Falęcka and Marcelina Gorczyńska) known for unconventional projects and interventionist actions; Tobias Zielony – an acclaimed German documentary artist working at the intersection of photography and social relations; Yulia Krivich – Ukrainian-Polish artist and activist, co-founder of the „Sunflower” collective; Agnieszka Tarasiuk – an experienced curator associated with the National Museum and the Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw, among others; and Dorota Szulc – an emerging star of global fashion photography.
Organised by the Foundation of Visual Arts, the Krakow Photomonth festival is one of the most important photographic events in Central and Eastern Europe and has been held in a biennial format since 2024.
More information and the application form are available at: https://site.picter.com/showoff-2026-by-krakow-photomonth
Krakow Photomonth is co-financed by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage and the Municipality of Kraków.
www.photomonth.com www.sztukawizualna.org 14.05–14.06.2026