Fifth ProgresFestival, an international event celebrating street photography and art.
NO ENTRY FEE CONTEST
Our festival is a non-profit event dedicated to showcasing authentic, stereotype-free images that capture meaningful moments in life. We aim to foster connections, inspire insights, and promote reflection and a positive outlook. However, during these challenging times for our world, we at Progressive are finding it difficult to continue with our everyday activities. That is why we have chosen themes that help us stay connected to our humanity.
We invite all photographers with a passion for their craft, as this quality drives significant artistic, political, and social expression. Committed photographers embody this trio in their work. Our platform welcomes photographers of all skill levels in the fields of street photography, documentary, and photojournalism. We support artistic goals across various genres and strive to foster an inclusive environment for everyone.
The winning photos will be published on our website and in our magazine and books, and will be exhibited at a location to be announced later.
The themes for the ProgresFestival 2026 photo challenge are
"Visions"
“The Visual Memory of Protest”
“Everyday Family Life”
VISIONS (street and non-street)
(In other words, street photography and other types of photography are accepted)
Participants are encouraged to explore creative and abstract photography.
They can submit five (5) images each for the single photo section to correlodelfim[at]gmail.com
At least ten (10) images are requested for the series section to rotusitala[at]gmail.com – they must be accompanied by a note that develops the concept that inspired the series.
Visual Memory of Protest (street)
This theme inspires participants to document the stories, feelings, and experiences of protesters, highlighting both the collective efforts and the personal effects of social change.
We invite photographers to capture emotions such as hope, anger, fear, determination, and solidarity during protests. The theme supports various photographic styles, from close-up portraits to documentary shots that convey the energy and atmosphere of demonstrations. Photographers could highlight protesters' resilience and unity, showing how protest issues impact daily life and how simple acts can serve as forms of protest. They could also examine protest symbols and acts of resistance outside of large demonstrations. Photographers are required to include a short statement explaining the idea or concept behind their submissions.
Photographers can submit three (3) single images for the Visual Memory of Protest section to info[at]martinagius.com
Photographers must submit six (6) images for the Visual Memory of Protest series section to streeteyephoto [@]gmail.com
Everyday Family Life
Capture daily family moments, without staged shots. Focus on the small details that reveal a life story. It is essential to demonstrate the capacity to capture moments that narrate a story within an artistic context. This encompasses not merely casual snapshots but also images that explore family dialectics in depth.
For those interested, submitting a project is possible, and in this case, staged images are allowed. The most notable submissions will be considered for publication on our website or in a magazine. The project must have a title and a brief statement explaining the idea or concept behind the submission. An exemplary illustration of this is the work of Ornella Mazzola.
Photographers can submit three (3) single images for the Everyday Family Life section to cassian25[at]proton.me
Photographers must submit six (6) images for the Everyday Family Life project section to streeteyephoto [@]gmail.com
Files must be labelled in the following format: name_surname_progressive number. Example: Robert_Smith_01.jpeg, Robert_Smith_02.jpg, etc.
The longest side must be a maximum of 2000 pixels, at 72 DPI, in JPEG format (.jpg) – A high-resolution JPEG file is required for finalists and winners.*
*The organiser will contact finalists to request a high-resolution JPEG of their selected photograph(s), which must be submitted quickly to avoid disqualification. Finalists should also include the year and location where the photos were taken. We may request the raw file in certain situations, even though we acknowledge that some photographers may not have access to it. The organiser reserves the right to refuse or exclude any entry at its sole discretion.
All photographs submitted are eligible for inclusion in the finalist exhibition provided they comply with the specified guidelines. The organising team will evaluate the qualifying images to determine which will advance to the final round for judging. Finalists will be exhibited at the ProgresFestival 2026, featured on our official website and in our magazine, and promoted across social media platforms associated with the competition.
The organiser will not provide feedback to those whose submissions were not selected. The Jury's decision is final. Neither appeals nor objections will be accepted.
The images will be judged blind. This means that the judges view the photos without the name or details of the photographer.
The organisers have the discretion to recommend certain images that have not received votes from the jury. Along with the three winners in each category, the jury will be free to award various other distinctions, such as the Best Street Photograph, the Best Artistic Photograph, the Best Portrait, and so on.
Submission opens: – 15 September 2025
Submission deadline: – 15 March 2026 at 23:00 Central European Time (GMT+1)
Finalists announced: at the end of April 2026
Final exhibition: Likely in May 2026, during ProgresFestival
Festival editorial team:
Cameron Scott Manager
Delfim Correlo and Alberto M. Melis, Vision Section – Martin Agius, Protest Section – Cassian Edwards, Family Life Section and Reviser – Fabio Balestra, Secretary.
Promoters:
Roberto Bartolini, Federico Borobio, Isabella Coordes
The jury is composed by:
Julia Coddington, Gabi Ben Avraham, Siegfried Hansen – Vision Single
Margarita Mavromichalis, Michael Dressel, Michael Kennedy – Vision Series
Aña Abrao, John Gill, Ximena Echagüe – The Visual Memory of Protest (singles and Projects)
Ornella Mazzola, Batsceba Hardy, Keef Charles – Everyday Family Life (singles and Projects)
By entering the photo contest, photographers grant the organiser five years of unconditional permission to use their images for ProgresFestival, including exhibitions, in all media like social media, online, and print. This covers contests, festivals, exhibitions, and promotional activities overseen by ProgresFestival. Participants cannot claim copyright compensation, but proper credit will be given. Photos will not be sold or used commercially.
If you have issues submitting or questions about the contest, contact: progressivestreetphotography[at]gmail.com
The organisation is not responsible for changes to contests or festivals caused by major forces. The organiser may cancel or modify competitions and conditions without notice, but will promptly inform participants of any changes.
The organiser disclaims responsibility for potential copyright infringements by third parties and cannot be liable for claims from individuals in photos; such responsibility rests with the participant.