PhotoVogue Opens MENA Panorama Call for Artists from MENA and the Diaspora
Free Online Submission, 21 May to 24 September 2026, With $8,000 in Grants for Photographers, Video Makers and Visual Artists and Selected Works Considered for PhotoVogue Festival 2027
![Abbas Souzian [Journalist]'s avatar](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!jkIz!,w_108,h_108,c_fill,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffa826ba8-cee6-41c0-830f-dfeaee93b2ca_1330x1330.jpeg)
PhotoVogue has opened MENA Panorama, a regional open call for photographers, video makers, and visual artists from the Middle East and North Africa, as well as artists from the diaspora who maintain a meaningful connection to the region.
The call is open online through Picter from 21 May to 24 September 2026, closing at 11:59 PM CEST. Submissions are free.
MENA Panorama is part of PhotoVogue’s wider series of regional open calls. It follows previous initiatives focused on Italy, Latin America, and East and Southeast Asia.
This new edition turns to the Middle East and North Africa at a time when images from the region are often shaped by conflict, displacement, social change, and outside narratives. The open call invites artists to present their own visual language, whether through personal stories, collective memory, identity, fashion, documentary work, portraiture, fine art, or experimental practices.
The call is open to artists aged 18 and above. Applicants may submit photography, video, or multimedia projects across all genres.
Each submission can include a series of up to 15 images, or a combination of images and video for multimedia projects. Artists may also submit a 60-second video trailer.
AI-generated works are not accepted.
A total of $8,000 will be awarded to three artists. The Outstanding Vision Grant is worth $4,500 and is intended for an artist whose work expands creative boundaries. The Vision Grant is worth $2,000 and will go to an artist with a distinctive perspective and strong visual voice. The Rising Voice Grant is worth $1,500 and is aimed at an emerging artist whose work shows originality and potential.
Beyond the cash grants, selected artists may be featured at the 2027 PhotoVogue Festival. Their work may also be published across Condé Nast titles in the region, including Vogue, GQ, Architectural Digest, and Condé Nast Traveler. Selected artists will also be invited to take part in PhotoVogue Virtual Portfolio Reviews.
The jury brings together figures from Condé Nast and the wider MENA creative scene, including artists, curators, photographers, editors, and cultural professionals.
The announced jury includes Afef Jnifen, Aidan Imanova, Alessia Glaviano, Amine Jreissati, Azu Nwagbogu, Carla Sertin, Doğukan Nesanir, Elyanna, Haifaa al-Mansour, Hoor Al Qasimi, Keanoush Zargham, Khalifa Al Obaidly, Manuel Arnaut, Meriem Bennani, Mohamad Abdouni, Mohamed Somji, Newsha Tavakolian, Nora Attal, Reem Fadda, Samira Larouci, Selina Denman, Shadi Ghadirian, and Thomas Khoury.
Among them are several major cultural voices from the region, including Saudi filmmaker Haifaa al-Mansour, Sharjah Art Foundation President and Director Hoor Al Qasimi, Iranian photographer and artist Newsha Tavakolian, and Iranian artist Shadi Ghadirian.
According to the terms of the open call, artists retain full copyright of their work. By submitting, they grant Condé Nast a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to publish, reproduce, and distribute submitted materials on PhotoVogue platforms, across Condé Nast print and digital publications, and in relation to the promotion and presentation of the open call.
The terms also state that submission does not guarantee selection, publication, or exhibition.
For artists working from or around the Middle East and North Africa, MENA Panorama offers more than a grant. It places regional image-making inside an international editorial and festival network, while asking artists to speak from their own position rather than fit into a single image of the region.
Deadline for submissions: 24 September 2026, 11:59 PM CEST
Official information:
https://www.vogue.com/article/mena-panorama-a-regional-open-call-by-photovogueSubmission page:
https://site.picter.com/photovogue-regional-open-call-mena-panorama-2026
For more updates on cinema and arts from the Middle East, follow me here.