The FENCE Deputy Director, Jasmin Chang, answers your top questions:
At this time, we are not planning on opening a call for entries for the 10th edition of the Photoville FENCE this year. Our focus in 2021 will be to produce the remaining 9th edition exhibitions, and to continue to program new ways for our audience to connect with the featured photographers.
Navigating the creation and production of an 11-city public art project through the turbulence of the past year has been a challenge. We’re proud to have pulled off many exhibitions with our host city partners over the past few months, and we still have quite a few exhibitions of the 9th edition exhibition to install. The reception of the Photoville FENCE, particularly in the context of a global pandemic and civil action and unrest, has underscored the importance of this platform and we remain committed to creating platforms to engage a wide public audience with visual stories.
There are many other ways you can share your work with us in the year ahead. We encourage you to visit photoville.com to find out more, or sign up to our mailing list to make sure you are up to date with all of our programs, events and opportunities”
We are looking for all types of photographic and lens-based work. For example, photographs, photo collage and alternative processes such as tintypes and cyanotypes are all welcome!
We welcome everything from documentary & photojournalism to fine art & conceptual work, and everything in between. What makes The Photoville FENCE special is that it’s a celebration of photography and visual storytelling, in all its many forms. We encourage you to view past editions’ artists for inspiration.
We ask you to remember that this is a nation-wide art project that will be on view in highly trafficked public spaces. This means they will be viewed by people of all ages (kids, grandparents, family dogs etc.) Please be civil and responsible. Please avoid images that may be shocking, particularly images of sexual intercourse, drug use, or depiction of violence.
This fee contributes to the work and expenses of building and maintaining a year-round, nation-wide project of this scale — including year-round installation and maintenance, permitting, public liability insurance, paying the very large jury for their time, and a small portion of the printing and production costs.
The Photoville FENCE is a project led by a non-profit, in collaboration with many regional non-profits. In order for the project to remain people-powered and flexible, we do not have any singular corporate, foundation or government funders. The application fee covers only 35% of the overall cost. Photoville and our partners heavily subsidize the remaining costs by writing lots of grants.
We have always worked hard to keep our application fee as low as possible. This year, we are particularly pleased that with the support of all our partners, we have actually been able to reduce the submission fee, as well as increase funding for our hardship scholarships. This hardship fund is available for those who find the submission fee cost-prohibitive. Scholarships are granted based on need and on a case-by-case basis. You may request this fee waiver by filling out this form.
Due to the uncertainty and hardship brought on by COVID-19, particularly for many photographers and freelancers, we are offering a new option to pay-what-you-can for a submission, which you’ll be able to select at the end of your submission. This is in addition to our regular need-based scholarship fee waivers which remain available.
We ask you to consider honestly and thoughtfully what you can pay. We never want cost to be a barrier for photographers, but a public photography project of this scale does require a significant budget to produce and the submission fees contribute a small but necessary portion of this budget.
The Photoville FENCE has always been a community project, produced by a non-profit organization in collaboration with many regional non-profits who are all committed to supporting photographers and bringing compelling visual stories into the public realm. In this unstable time, we’ve come together with creativity and flexibility to strategize how to sustain this large-scale exhibition, while offering a financial reprieve to photographers who need it.
It’s a delicate balance, and we ask you, as part of our community, to consider the context and your fellow storytellers, as you decide what you are able to contribute.
A series is 5-10 images about a cohesive theme or story. You may submit multiple series, or choose to submit the same series to multiple thematic categories. If selected, our team will work with you to curate 5 images from your series that will be included on The Photoville FENCE exhibitions.
We handle all the curation, designing, permitting, insurance, promotion, installation and maintenance of the 9 exhibitions. All you need to do is shout from the rooftops that you’re part of The Photoville FENCE!
Absolutely! The Photoville FENCE is open to photographers from all around the globe. In fact, the winning artists from the 8th edition of the exhibition hailed from 17 countries, including Bangladesh, Nigeria, South Africa, Singapore, Slovenia and Venezuela among others.
Submission fee waivers are available on a case-by-base basis for photographers without access to credit cards or for whom the $30/$35 entry fee would be prohibitive. To apply, you must fill out this form.
A member of our team will be in touch after receiving your application with instructions to complete your submission.
The Photoville FENCE is a series of large-scale photography exhibitions printed on vinyl mesh and installed outdoors in multiple cities across North America: Atlanta, Brooklyn, Calgary, Denver, Durham, Houston, New Orleans, Sarasota, Seattle and Winchester. Depending on the space and fencing available in each host city, the exhibition can have a height of 3 to 5 feet and a length of 500 to 1,000 feet. Each exhibition is on public view for an average of 3 months in areas with massive pedestrian traffic, ensuring an unprecedented audience for your work.
No. All submissions are automatically considered for all exhibitions, across all participating host cities, at no additional cost!
Once the 9th edition artists are selected, we work with artists to collect their high resolution files, and captions. We then lay out, design, and print vinyl exhibitions that fit the space and layout available in each host city.
The Photoville FENCE is open to all photographers around the world, except where prohibited by law. Photographers must be 18 years of age or older at the time of submission.
All types of photographic and lens-based work are accepted and encouraged.
Digital images should be JPEG files saved with max quality compression with a long dimension of at least 1,500 pixels at 72 dpi with either Adobe1998, or sRGB color space. Black and White images can also be submitted in Greyscale color space.
If selected, you will be asked to submit high resolution image files for printing, measuring at least 3,200 pixels in height – either as JPEG or TIFF files.
Absolutely! The Photoville FENCE is open to photographers from all around the globe. In fact, the winning artists from the 8th edition of the exhibition hailed from 17 countries, including Bangladesh, Nigeria, South Africa, Singapore, Slovenia and Venezuela among others.
What are the Regional Artist Showcase FENCE exhibitions – and how are they different than The FENCE?
In addition to the exhibition that will be displayed in multiple cities across North America, we are excited to offer additional exhibition opportunities for photographers from the following regions:
- Artists who live or work in Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, Rhode Island, or Connecticut will be automatically considered for the New England Regional Photographers Showcase (a public exhibition in Winchester, Massachusetts)
- Artists who live or work in Florida may be considered for the Florida Regional Photographers Showcase (a public exhibition in Sarasota, Florida)
- Artists who live or work in Alberta, Saskatchewan, British Columbia, Northwest Territories, or Yukon Territory may be considered for the Western Canada Regional Photographers Showcase (a public exhibition in Calgary, Canada)
- Artists who live or work in Colorado may be considered the Colorado Regional Photographers Showcase (a public exhibition in Denver, Colorado)
- Artists who live or work in Louisiana will be automatically considered for the Louisiana Regional Photographers Showcase (a public exhibition in New Orleans, Louisiana)
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Artists who live or work in the below counties of the –OTA States (North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota) will be automatically considered for the Metro Regional Photographers Showcase (a public exhibition in Fargo and West Fargo, North Dakota and Moorhead, Minnesota)North Dakota (All counties); Minnesota (Red Lake, Park, Clearwater, Norman, Mahnomen, Clay, Becker, Hubbard, Wilken, Otter Tail, Wadena, Douglas, Pope, Stevens, Traverse, Grant); South Dakota (Marshall, Roberta, Day)
- Artists who live or work in North Carolina may be considered the North Carolina Regional Photographers Showcase (a public exhibition in Durham, North Carolina)
- Artists who live or work in Georgia may be considered for the Georgia Regional Photographers Showcase (a public exhibition in Atlanta, Georgia)
- Artists who live or work in Texas may be considered the Texas Regional Photographers Showcase (a public exhibition in Houston, Texas)
All you have to do is check the appropriate box when submitting your work and you’ll automatically be considered for the appropriate regional artist showcase exhibitions based on your geographic location, in addition to all the national exhibitions!
The deadline has been extended to June 11, 2020 (11:59 PM PST) and the submission fee is $35/series. This is your last chance to submit!
Yes. The entry fee for submitting an image series before the Early Bird Deadline (March 6) is $30. The entry fee for submitting an image series by the Regular Deadline (April 14) is $35. All image series submitted will be automatically considered for all 9th edition FENCE exhibitions (Atlanta, Brooklyn, Calgary, Denver, Durham, Houston, Sarasota, Seattle, Winchester) – and the applicable Regional Photographers Showcase exhibition based on artist location (Colorado, Florida, Georgia, New England, North Carolina, Texas and Western Canada).
The Photoville FENCE is a project led by a non-profit, in collaboration with many regional non-profits. In order for the project to remain people-powered and flexible, we do not have any singular corporate, foundation or government funders. This fee contributes to the work and expenses of building and maintaining a year-round, nation-wide project of this scale — including year-round installation and maintenance, permitting, paying the very large jury for their time, and a fraction of the printing and production costs.
We have always worked hard to keep our application fee as low as possible. This year, we are particularly pleased that with the support of all our partners, we have actually been able to reduce the submission fee, as well as increase funding for our hardship scholarships. This hardship fund is available for those who find the submission fee cost-prohibitive. Scholarships are granted based on need and on a case-by-case basis. You may request this fee waiver by filling out this form.
No. We will cover the full cost of production, installation, and maintenance of all FENCE exhibitions.
Submission fee waivers are available on a case-by-base basis for photographers without access to credit cards or for whom the $30/$35 entry fee would be prohibitive. To apply, you must fill out this form.
A member of our team will be in touch after receiving your application with instructions to complete your submission.
Unfortunately, no. We only accept submission of photo series, because the purpose of the exhibition is to showcase and share visual stories and narratives.
No. You may enter the call-for-entries as many times as you like.
Yes. If the series fits thematically in more than one category, you may submit it for consideration in additional categories.
Yes, you may enter multiple series into one category.
When preparing your submission, please keep in mind that The Photoville FENCE is an outdoor exhibition that is open to visitors of all ages. Certain images containing scenes of a graphic nature (such as explicit nudity, sexual acts, or violence) may not be appropriate for our younger audience members. Please use your best judgement when submitting work for consideration.
No. Photographers are welcome to submit work from any era in their career, as long as the series fits one or more of the submission categories.
Most likely not. However, there are a number of questions to consider when deciding whether a model release is necessary, including the specific circumstances the image was captured, and what country it was taken in. To learn more about model release requirements, please visit this helpful ASMP Tutorial page.
For the 9th edition of The FENCE, there will be exhibitions in the following cities:
- Atlanta, Georgia
- Brooklyn, New York
- Calgary, Canada
- Denver, Colorado
- Durham, North Carolina
- Houston, Texas
- New Orleans, Louisiana
- Sarasota, Florida
- Seattle, Washington
- Winchester, Massachusetts
….and more cities are in the works!
No. You retain copyright to your photograph and your photos will not be sold or used for commercial purposes. All entries may be posted online so that viewers may view and vote on all competing entries. Winning entries may be used in exhibitions and promotions directly related to The Photoville FENCE competition.
Yes. There is no restriction to submitting work that has been part of other photo competitions.
No. Unfortunately, we can only accept payments via credit card at this time.
The winners of the 9th edition of The Photoville FENCE will be announced in August 2020.
The first exhibition of the 9th edition of The Photoville FENCE will be unveiled in Brooklyn Bridge Park in August 2020. Exhibitions in all the other cities will be on view for a period between August 2020 through September 2021.
Get in touch with a member of our team via email at [email protected] – and we’ll be more than happy to answer your questions!
The sponsor of the The FENCE Photo Contest (9th edition) is United Photo Industries Inc (“UPI”), 16 Main Street #B, Brooklyn, New York 11201.
TERM
The Contest has an early bird deadline of March 6, 2020 at 11:59 pm PST (the Early Bird Deadline). The Contest has an regular deadline of May 14, 2020 at 11:59 pm PST (the Regular Deadline). If extended, the final deadline (the Final Entry Deadline) will be June 11, 2020 at 11:59PM (PST). All entries must be received by the Final Entry Deadline.
WHO MAY ENTER
Contest is open to professional and amateur US and international photographers. Entrants must be at least 18 years of age as of the date of entry. United Photo Industries staff, judges, and their families are not eligible to enter the competition. CONTEST IS VOID WHERE PROHIBITED.
COST OF ENTRY
Each photo series entry costs $30 if entry is submitted by the Early Bird Deadline (March 6, 2020). After that, each photo series entry costs $35 to submit (through May 14, 2020). International credit cards are accepted. Each photo series entry must consist of no less than 5 and no more than 10 images. If selected, we will work with the artists to select an edit of 5 images to be displayed in the exhibition.
HOW TO ENTER
To enter electronically, please visit fence.photoville.com to submit. Once the registration process has been completed, you will receive an e-mail confirmation. Simply log onto the website and follow the online instructions to upload images from your computer. Digital images should have a long dimension of at least 1,500 pixels. The image should be saved at 72 dpi, however 300 dpi is also acceptable. We can accept images that are up to 4 megabytes. Images may be color profiled in sRGB, Adobe-1998, or not color-managed.
- You may enter any number of entries in any of the categories listed below.
No mail-in entry is available for this Contest.
Each Entry consists of an entry form, a series of images, and an entry fee.
Each submitted photograph, in its entirety, must be a single work of original material taken by the Contest entrant. By entering the Contest, entrant represents, acknowledges and warrants that the submitted photograph is an original work created solely by the entrant, that the photograph does not infringe on the copyrights, trademarks, moral rights, rights of privacy/publicity or intellectual property rights of any person or entity, and that no other party has any right, title, claim or interest in the photograph.
Photographs that include sculptures, statues, paintings, and other works of art will be accepted as long as they do not constitute copyright infringement or fraud, provided that entrants must be prepared to provide a release form as described below in “Third Party Releases/Licenses.” When photographing the work of others, it must be as an object in its environment and not a full-frame close up of another person’s art.
If the Photograph includes other people, you must be prepared to provide a signed written personal release from all persons who appear in the Photograph submitted, authorizing use of the Photograph as provided below in “Third Party Releases/Licenses.” If you are unable to provide a personal release, upon request by Sponsor and in the form provided by Sponsor, then your entry may be disqualified. You do not need to send the release with your entry. If you win, we will contact you if a model release is needed.
The entries will be judged in accordance with the Judging Criteria, as defined below. The photograph must not, in the sole and unfettered discretion of the Sponsors, contain obscene, defamatory, sexually explicit, or otherwise objectionable or inappropriate content. Photographs deemed inappropriate will be disqualified.
On-line entries must be made by the authorized account holder of the e-mail address submitted at the time of entry. “Authorized account holder” is defined as the natural person who is assigned to an e-mail address by an Internet access provider, online service provider, internet domain owner, or other person or organization (e.g., business, educational institution, etc.) that is responsible for assigning e-mail addresses for the domain associated with the submitted e-mail address.
CATEGORIES
Categories are specified on the home page of The Photoville FENCE Photo Contest website.
COMPETITION PRIZES
Prizes are specified on the Awards page of The Photoville FENCE Photo Contest website.
JUDGING
Contest consists of three (3) rounds of evaluation. In each round, a panel of experts in photography (the “Judges”) will each review a portion of the entries and select a group of entries in each Category to proceed to the following round.
Entries will be judged on the basis of creativity, photographic quality and effectiveness in expressing the contest theme. Winners will be announced on this web site as well as on social media channels.
Decisions of the Sponsors and Judges are final and binding.
Sponsors reserve the right not to award all prizes in the event an insufficient number of eligible entries meeting the minimum judging criteria are received, as determined by Sponsors and Judges in their sole discretion.
ENTRANT LICENSES/RELEASES
By participating, ALL ENTRANTS grant United Photo Industries and their designees, licensees or affiliates (the “Authorized Parties”) the right to reproduce, distribute, display and post the entries online, and in promotions directly related to The Photoville FENCE Contest, so that audience members may view all competing entries.
By participating, each WINNER grants to the Authorized Parties a non-exclusive license for use of his/her winning entry in connection with The Photoville FENCEe Photo Contest and promotion of The Photoville FENCE Photo Contest, including but not limited to print or digital publication and public exhibitions showcasing the winners. Authorized Parties will not be required to pay any additional consideration or seek any additional approval in connection with such use.
If the photograph contains any material or elements that are not owned by the entrant and/or which are subject to the rights of third parties, and/or if any persons appear in the photograph, the entrant is responsible for obtaining, prior to submission of the photograph, any and all releases and consents necessary to permit the exhibition and use of the photograph in the manner set forth in these Official Rules without additional compensation. If any person appearing in any photograph is under the age of majority in their state/province/territory of residence the signature of a parent or legal guardian is required on each release.
COPYRIGHT OVER EACH ENTRY REMAINS THE PROPERTY OF ITS RESPECTIVE ENTRANT.
THIRD PARTY RELEASES/LICENSES
Winners authorize United Photo Industries to reproduce, distribute, and display the photograph entry in connection with The Photoville FENCE Photo Contest (9th Edition) and promotion of The Photoville FENCE Photo Contest, in any media including but not limited to: publication in The Photoville FENCE Photo Contest Web site showcasing the winners, and in exhibits and promotions related to The Photoville FENCE Photo Contest.
LIMITATION OF LIABILITY
By participating, entrants agree to release, discharge and hold harmless United Photo Industries, and each of their respective partners, affiliates, subsidiaries, advertising agencies, agents and their employees, officers, directors, and representatives from any claims, losses, and damages arising out of their participation in this Contest or any Contest-related activities and the acceptance and use, misuse, or possession of any prize awarded hereunder.
Sponsors assume no responsibility for any error, omission, interruption, deletion, defect, or delay in operation or transmission; communications line failure; theft or destruction of or unauthorized access to Contest entries or entry forms; or alteration of entries or entry forms. Sponsors are not responsible for any problems with or technical malfunction of any telephone network or lines, computer online systems, servers or providers, computer equipment, software, failure of any e-mail entry to be received on account of technical problems or traffic congestion on the Internet or at any Web site, human errors of any kind, or any combination thereof, including any injury or damage to entrants’ or any other persons’ computers related to or resulting from participation, uploading or downloading of any materials related to this Contest.
CONDITIONS
This Contest is subject to federal, state, and local laws and regulations. Certain restrictions may apply. Entries void if the Sponsor determines the entry to not be an original, or if the entries are illegible, incomplete, damaged, irregular, altered, counterfeit, produced in error or obtained through fraud or theft.
Participants also agree (a) to be bound by these Official Rules; (b) that the decisions of the Judges are final on all matters relating to the Contest; and (c) if he/she wins that Sponsor may use each winner’s name, photograph, likeness, and/or voice in any publicity or advertising relating to the Contest or future promotions without compensation or approval (except in Tennessee and where prohibited by law). All federal, state and local taxes, fees and surcharges on prizes are the sole responsibility of the prize winners. In the event that the selected winner(s) of any prize are/is ineligible or refuses the prize, the prize will be forfeited and Sponsors, in their sole discretion, may choose whether to award the prize to another entrant.
RIGHT TO CANCEL OR SUSPEND CONTEST
If for any reason the Contest is not capable of running as planned, due to infection by computer virus, bugs, worms, trojan horses, denial of service attacks, tampering, unauthorized intervention, fraud, technical failures, or any other causes beyond the control of Sponsors that corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, integrity, or proper conduct of this Contest, Sponsors reserve the right, at their sole discretion, to disqualify any individual(s) who tamper with the entry process, and/or to cancel, terminate, modify, or suspend the Contest. If Sponsors elect to cancel or terminate the Contest, Sponsors will not retain any rights in the submitted photographs and will return the entry fees.