Deadline: October 9, 2026
6th Barcelona Human Rights International Photo Festival
- Submission Deadline: October 9, 2026, 24:00 CET (Spain time)
- Social Justice — Projects focused on inequalities, discrimination, exclusion, and fundamental rights
- Climate Justice — Projects reflecting social and territorial inequalities linked to the ecological and climate crisis, as well as resistance and alternatives defending the right to a healthy and just environment
- Gender Justice — Submissions highlighting gender-related inequalities, violence, and resistance, as well as struggles for a more just, inclusive, and equitable society
- Economic Justice — Submissions reflecting inequalities in access to resources and economic opportunities, as well as struggles and alternatives toward a fairer economic model
- Open to photographers aged 18 or over, both professional and amateur, of any nationality
- Each participant may submit multiple projects; each project must be assigned to one category
- Each project must include 15 digital photographs (color or black and white)
- At least 7 of the 15 images must have been taken after January 1, 2025
- Works may be published or unpublished
- AI-generated or AI-modified images are strictly prohibited
- Photo montages are excluded; only single-frame photographs are accepted
- Grand Prize (Best Project overall): €3,000 + public street exhibition in Barcelona + inclusion in the 2026 official catalog and magazine
- Three Category Prizes (best work in each of the remaining three categories): €400 each
- 10 shortlisted projects will all be exhibited in large-format public displays across Barcelona's 10 districts (December 1, 2026 – January 10, 2027)
- Finalist works included in the 2026 official catalog and festival magazine
- Selected works may participate in touring exhibitions, educational activities, and cultural outreach initiatives
- Minimum image resolution: 1,500 pixels on the longest side, 72 ppi
- Images must not contain any identification of the contestant, either in the image or in metadata
- A descriptive synopsis of the project theme and photo captions (in metadata) are required
- Images must be numbered according to narrative sequence (e.g., título_01, título_02)
- Only basic darkroom adjustments (brightness, contrast, color) are permitted; digital manipulation of content is prohibited
Description:
The Barcelona Human Rights International Photo Festival (BCN-DH) is an annual international photography event founded by the Spanish non-profit organization Más Retina Association, using photography as a tool for advancing social justice. The festival seeks to discover, recognize, and promote outstanding photographic projects on human rights and global justice, using visual storytelling to expose the root causes of global problems and stimulate critical thinking and civic engagement. The 2026 sixth edition features four categories — Social Justice, Climate Justice, Gender Justice, and Economic Justice — covering diverse themes including migration and refugee rights, climate change impacts on vulnerable communities, gender-based violence and discrimination, labor exploitation, and wealth inequality. The jury selects the two best projects from each category (8 total), plus two additional finalists chosen from the third-place entries, resulting in 10 shortlisted projects exhibited in large-format public displays across all of Barcelona's districts. The jury is composed of professionals specializing in human rights photography and experts from the cooperation and human rights fields.
