Texas Photographic Society (TPS) is a non-profit organization founded in 1984 to celebrate the photographic arts, inspire creative development, and provide opportunities for artists to engage with an international photography community. 
Texas Photographic Society is delighted to announce the 2022 TPS National Photography Award. This call is open to artists residing in the United States who have a consistent body of photographic work. The recipient will be awarded a solo exhibition at the Sabine Street Studios during FotoFest 2022, the international festival of photography in Houston, Texas, plus a $2,000 cash prize. The exhibition will be juried by Marni Shindelman. (Please read her full Juror's Statement and Bio below.) View the details for the 2018 exhibition here and 2020 here.

Calendar of Events

February 15, 2022 - Call for entry opens on CaFÉ
April 26, 2022 - Deadline for entry (11:59 Mountain Time Zone)
May 16, 2022 – Award Recipient Announced
September 9, 2022 – Work due at Sabine Street Studios in Houston, Texas
September 24, 2022 – Exhibition opens
November 6, 2022 – Exhibition closes

Awards & Recognition

$2,000 cash prize • Solo exhibition at Sabine Street Studios during FotoFest 2022 in Houston, TX • Inclusion in the Biennial publication guide • Juror may select up to 10 TPS National Photography Award Finalists, providing additional recognition to entrants.

Entry Fee

Entry fee is $45 for 10 images and statement, $35 for TPS Members (applicants can become a member through CaFÉ website at time of entry).

JUROR'S STATEMENT

Photographs can tell us things we can’t see with the human eye. We are in a tumultuous time, living through a pandemic, political division, immigration crisis, environmental destruction, and the age of memes and TikTok stars. There is a reason to make and consequently show photographs. Images should convey our individual nuances, histories and situations. Making photographs is a small confession as to the way in which you see the world. I want to see how what you see is different than what I see or know. An image should tell me the things you are afraid to tell others, whether this is something only you find humorous, or traumatic, or something you can tell through your access.

For my own work, I often push the limits of what the photograph can show. What can a photograph tell us beyond that a specific scene existed at a certain time? It can show us what happened in the past, through collage or text, or it can show us what we cannot see with the naked eye through a long exposure. It is a privileged position to be able to make a photograph. It is the story of witnessing, and it is our duty to make images that acknowledge this.

For this exhibition, I want to see images that tell me stories I don’t know. I tell my students if I go home thinking about an image, then that is a successful piece. The technical aspects of an image are a given for me. It is the evoking of a memory or the telling of a story that makes an image successful. I want to see your thoughts told via a photograph. I love work where the material enhances the message. That applies from traditional to experimental work.
- Marni Shindelman

ABOUT THE JUROR

Marni Shindelman’s practice investigates the data tracks we amass through networked communication. Her work ties the invisible to actual sites, anchoring the ephemeral in photographs. As part of the collaborative team Larson Shindelman (2007) their long running project Geolocation, marries tweets to their real-life location through desolate landscapes. Their newest book #Gratitude#Spasipo follows the hashtag #ThanksPutin and #Thanks Obama through Russia and the US. It will be published in 2022. Her latest solo work Restore the Night Sky looks at the influence privatized immigration detention centers have on the rural landscapes they inhabit.

Larson Shindelman’s work has been shown at the Denver Art Museum, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Museum of Fine Arts Houston, and the Portland Art Museum. Solo exhibitions include the George Eastman Museum, the Orlando Museum of Art, Blue Sky Gallery, and the Contemporary Arts Center Las Vegas. Numerous publications have featured their work including Wired, The Picture Show from NPR, the New York Times, Washington Post, and the British Journal of Photography. They have been artist-in-residence at the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation, Light Work, and CEC ArtsLink in St. Petersburg, Russia.

Shindelman received her MFA from the University of Florida and her Bachelor of Philosophy from Miami University. She an Associate Professor at the Lamar Dodd School of Art at the University of Georgia.
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TPS 30: The International Competition is made possible through funding from the Texas Commission on the Arts, a partnership with Fujifilm, and the generous support of our TPS Members.
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Application Requirements

Submissions will include ten images and an artist's statement (up to 200 words). Award recipient's full exhibition will be based on initial submission and include all submitted images as part of the exhibition. This call is open to all subject matter, aesthetic approaches, and photographic processes. Two-dimensional work is preferred, and submissions from artists of all levels are encouraged.

Please submit digital JPG files only, minimum of 1200 pixels on the longest side and 5 MB maximum. Please remove watermarks from images. For each image you will need to provide the image title and the process (medium) used to make the image/print (Archival Digital Print, Silver Gelatin Print, Platinum/Palladium Print, Wet Plate Collodian, etc.) To clarify, you will submit a digital files of your images for the contest application; if your work is selected, you will you will print your images, frame them, and ship them to the exhibition venue.

IF YOUR WORK IS ACCEPTED
Award recipient's full exhibition will be based on initial submission and include submitted images as part of the exhibition. After award announcement, TPS and exhibition venue will work with Artist on selection of specific work.

Shipping & Presentation Guidelines:
Artist delivers or ships work to Houston and TPS will pay for return shipping (if necessary) within the United States using a common carrier. It is recommended that selected artwork be shipped ready-to-hang using wire or D-rings. If applicable, please use white mats and frames that are gallery quality and complement your work. NO glass please; plexiglass only.

Eligibility Criteria

The TPS National Photography Award is open to artists of all levels residing in the United States who are developing or have completed a consistent body of photographic work. All photographic-based art is welcome, including digital, silver, and alternative processes. You do not need to be a member of the Texas Photographic Society to enter this competition. Current members of the TPS Board of Directors are NOT eligible for entry.