Open Calls

Guest Room is Der Greif's online exhibition format featuring open submissions curated by leading figures in contemporary photography. It is designed to foster collaboration, spark creative exchange, and amplify new voices in visual culture under a given theme. Curated by writer and curator Sofia Krysiak and photographer Jack Latham – co-founders of Terrible Baby publishing – this edition invites artists to reflect on "Difficult Conversations."

Krysiak and Latham ask: “Some conversations are difficult to have, so, how do we have them?” Photography can initiate these encounters by exposing social, political, and personal realities. Yet images trigger vastly different interpretations depending on who creates, views, or distributes them. At a time when polarization stifles debate, expression is both abundant and curated, and information overload obscures the truth, we are seeking projects that demonstrate how visual language can offer a way forward for the conversations that matter most.

Deadline: October 28, 2026 at 11:59 PM CET

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From crossing paths with a black cat to honoring ancestors at vibrant altars, humans have always used stories, rituals, and visual symbols to make sense of fate, luck, and the unseen. This open call seeks lens-based artists to explore contemporary folklore, cultural superstitions, myth-making, and surrealism. Deadline: October 14, 2026 at 11:59 PM CET Submit

Photo by Elena Helfrecht.

This open call for photobooks creates space for critical and poetic approaches to artist books and other kind of publications as a form of shared authorship, collaboration, and storytelling. We welcome publications that engage thoughtfully with contemporary life, visual culture, and the material and narrative possibilities of the book. Selected projects will be featured in Der Greif’s editorial "In Focus" column, offering international visibility and long-term archival presence.

Deadline: November 30, 2026 at 11:59 PM CET

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Photo: Amelie Sachs.