Get those flashes flicking and those hearts racing.
PHOTO Australia has announced its fourth biennial festival will explore humanity’s most intense emotion – love. Running between March 6-29, PHOTO 2026 is calling for submissions that capture love in all its messy, magnificent forms.
Festival founder and artistic director Elias Redstone reckons it’s time to get deep. “Love is a powerful human emotion that shapes our lives,” he says. “In its many forms, love can be a force for connection, compassion and social change.”
PHOTO 2026
- 6-29 March 2026
- Exhibited across the city of Melbourne/Naarm
- Submissions open now
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But it’s not all hearts and flowers – Redstone’s also keen to explore love’s flip side, using its absence to spotlight social divisions and inequality.
PHOTO 2026 is pulling some serious weight in the judging department. Photography heavyweights from New York’s MoMA, London’s Photographers’ Gallery and Paris’s Maison Européenne de la Photographie are ready to scope out submissions.
Selected works will be blown up into massive outdoor installations across Melbourne/Naarm, transforming the city into an open-air gallery of love in all its forms.
PHOTO Australia’s been flying the flag for local snappers on the global stage since its inception. Their biennial shindig turns Melbourne – already Australia’s unofficial photography capital – into a playground of exhibitions, with free art trails, screenings and events spreading the love across Victoria.
But it’s not just about the exhibition – these folks are proper champions of the craft, throwing their weight behind commissioning new works, mentoring up-and-comers, and getting Australian photographers’ work in front of international eyeballs.
Reckon you’ve got what it takes? Whether you’re a seasoned pro or just starting out, submissions are open until 27 February 2025. Time to start capturing those love stories, Melbourne.
Find out more information on this city-wide exhibit and how to submit your own photos here.