FotoDoc Photo Contest 2025 – Guidelines

To better guide participants in preparing and submitting their entries, the festival’s curatorial team has compiled a series of questions and answers that serve as general guidelines.

We recommend reading them carefully to optimize your participation and increase your chances of success.

1. What is the purpose of the contest?

The FotoDoc Photo Contest aims to give visibility to authorial works within the expanded field of documentary photography. We consider documentary photography to be any type of work that contributes to a better understanding of important contemporary issues. For this reason, documentary photography serves as a critical instrument while also being an authorial expression, carrying the subjective marks of the photographer.

2. Who can participate?

Anyone who uses photography as a means of expression to address relevant contemporary themes.

3. Can amateur photographers participate?

Both professional and amateur photographers can participate without restrictions. The contest values the quality of artistic expression in the work and the relevance of the chosen theme.

4. What type of photography can I submit?

The contest is open to all themes, with no restrictions on the date the photographs were taken. There are no limitations on post-processing or image manipulation, but all submitted images must have been originally captured through photographic methods—whether analog or digital.

Thus, the contest accepts photo collages, photomontages, diptychs, triptychs, or polyptychs, as well as images captured with unconventional cameras, such as pinholes, scanners, or photograms (images created directly in a darkroom using an enlarger and photosensitive paper, without a camera).

5. Can I submit images taken with a smartphone?

Yes, smartphone photography is accepted.

6. Are AI-generated images allowed?

No. As stated in question 4, only images captured using photographic methods are eligible. AI tools may be used for post-production, but this must be disclosed in the application form.

7. Can I submit works that were selected in previous editions of the contest?

Yes, except for works that were among the winners in past editions.

8. How many submissions can I send?

Participants may submit as many entries as they wish in any of the three available categories.

9. When should I submit my entry?

Submissions are open until June 30. Entries are evaluated on a rolling basis and published as photographers complete their publication fee payment. The earlier you submit, the longer your work will be displayed on the Selected Entries page.

10. What are the available categories, and how do they differ?

The contest features three categories: Featured Image, Photo Essay, and Portfolio.

In the Featured Image category, participants may submit up to three images per entry, but only one image will be selected per submission. Photos are judged individually based on their visual impact and ability to convey a story, event, or idea.
In the Photo Essay and Portfolio categories, images are evaluated as a cohesive set to form a visual narrative.
- Photo Essay consists of a short-term project with 6 to 8 images per entry.
- Portfolio showcases a long-term project with 10 to 15 images per entry, ideally forming a unified series. If multiple projects are included, they should maintain a thematic or visual connection.

The order of images in Photo Essays and Portfolios is important for evaluation. While curators may reorder the images upon publication, the overall sequence is respected.

Diptychs, triptychs, or polyptychs must be submitted as a single file and count as one image.

11. How do I submit my entry, and how are selected works published?

Submission forms for all three categories are available at the bottom of the Rules & Regulations and Contest pages.

Each category has its own entry form, which must be fully completed and submitted via the FotoDoc website.

Images must be in JPEG format, with the longest side measuring 1920 pixels.
A publication fee of R$ 98 is required for each selected entry.
Once the fee is paid, the work is published on the FotoDoc Festival website, along with a photographer profile page and a feature on FotoDoc’s Instagram.
All published selected entries are reassessed at the end of the submission period, and 60 finalists are chosen.

12. Will I receive feedback if my work is not selected?

No. Due to the high volume of submissions and the fact that applications are free, the curatorial team does not provide feedback on unselected works. However, we recommend reviewing the Selected Entries page to understand the contest’s curatorial approach.

13. What are the selection criteria?

The curatorial team evaluates submissions based on three key aspects:

Quality – The execution of the image, which is assessed subjectively based on the project’s intent.
Relevance – The significance of the theme and its contribution to contemporary discussions.
Originality – The uniqueness of both the content and visual approach.

While the primary evaluation is image-based, accompanying captions and descriptions help provide context, making them valuable for documentary photography submissions. Titles also play an important role in interpreting the work.

14. What are the contest stages and rewards?

Selected entries are published continuously throughout the submission period.
At the end of the submission period, the curatorial team reviews all published entries and selects 60 finalists (30 Featured Images, 21 Photo Essays, and 9 Portfolios).
The finalists will be published in the FotoDoc Festival 2024 magazine.
A jury of five members will meet in São Paulo to evaluate the 60 finalists and select 25 winners (15 Featured Images, 7 Photo Essays, and 3 Portfolios).
The winners’ works will be exhibited at the FotoDoc Festival, with the exhibition running until January 2026.
One Grand Prize Winner will be selected from the three winning Portfolios. The recipient will receive:
- A custom-designed trophy.
- Airfare (if residing outside São Paulo state).
- Accommodation to attend the festival, receive the trophy, and present their work.

15. Why is there a publication fee?

The publication fee helps cover contest expenses, including professional remuneration, exhibition costs, and promotional efforts. It is important to note that:

Submission and evaluation are free.
Only selected entries require a publication fee.
Once the fee is paid, the work is published on the FotoDoc website and Instagram, providing exposure for the photographer.

16. The rules state that the FotoDoc Photo Contest is not funded by cultural incentive laws, but the festival website mentions sponsorship through ProAC-SP. How does that work?

All contest-related costs are fully covered by the publication fees paid by participants.
Funding obtained through ProAC-SP supports other activities of the FotoDoc Festival.