PhotoSpiva is a national competition hosted annually by Spiva Center for the Arts in Joplin, Missouri. Founded in 1977, PhotoSpiva has become the longest-running photographic competition of its kind in the U.S. As stated by the founders, the objective of PhotoSpiva is to “present an exhibition of excellence in photography, celebrating the scope and vigorous activity of today’s contemporary photographers.” Work will be juried and selected for an exhibition to be displayed from March 15-May 3, 2025. Jurors for this competition differ every year and are carefully selected from the nation’s most merited photographers and curators.

We're proud to have renowned photographer, David Hilliard, as this year's juror.

For the third year, PhotoSpiva will be presented in the new Spiva galleries at the state-of-the-art Harry M. Cornell Arts and Entertainment Complex and will be accompanied by some of Spiva's signature programming: PhotoSpiva Kids, Spiva in Bloom, and 1000 Words Poetry Event. PLEASE NOTE: No work that is accepted may be framed. Instructions for the matting of the images will be sent if work is accepted.

AWARDS

1ST Place | $1,000

2ND Place | $750

3RD Place | $500

Merit Award (3) | $150

Honorable Mention (3) | $100


All entrants will be informed of acceptance or declination via email during the first week of February 2025. Please contact Shaun Conroy at sconroy@spivaarts.org if you have questions or concerns.

Application Requirements

IMAGE REQUIREMENTS

There is no theme. The images need to be JPEG formatted and in RGB color mode. In sizing, A good guideline is to make either the width or the height about 1600 pixels and maintain the aspect ratio. If selected for exhibition, all work is required to be printed, mounted on a rigid backing and matted. The only exception to this would be printing on metal. PLEASE NOTE: No work that is accepted may be framed. Instructions for the matting of the images will be sent if work is accepted.

ENTRY FEE

A $40 fee is required to enter five (5) photos. You must enter five images and no less (you can enter the same photo 5 times if you do not have additional photos). If you wish to submit more than five images, each additional entry is $10. All images must be entered in the same application at one time.

Eligibility Criteria

ELIGIBILITY

PhotoSpiva is open to any amateur or professional photographer in the United States or its territories. Submitted images must be the photographer’s own work, and it is the sole responsibility of the photographer to obtain written releases from any recognizable person(s) depicted. Two-dimensional work derived from any photographic process — traditional, digital, or photo-based mixed media — is eligible as long as the work is original and has never been exhibited at George A. Spiva Center for the Arts. Three–dimensional work is not eligible for this competition and exhibition.