Call Description

The Griffin Museum of Photography invites photographers to submit completed or near-completed projects for Vision(ary) 2026: Raising Our Voices, a public art exhibition exploring American movements of protest, activism, and social justice.

From the Civil Rights Movement to contemporary struggles for racial equity, gender justice, environmental protection, labor rights, immigration reform, and democratic accountability, protest has shaped the American narrative. Photography has been central to this history—documenting resistance, amplifying voices, and creating images that define collective memory.

For this year’s Vision(ary), we seek sustained photographic projects that examine activism within the United States—past or present. We are interested in work that engages with organized movements, grassroots action, community advocacy, and the evolving language of civic expression. Projects may focus on public demonstrations, acts of resistance, intergenerational organizing, or the lasting impact of social movements on individuals and communities.

Vision(ary) transforms downtown Winchester into an open-air gallery, with individual exhibitions presented on banners, sidewalks, and public spaces from June through September 2026. In this context, photography enters civic space—meeting viewers within the rhythms of daily life and inviting reflection on the role of images in shaping democracy.

We encourage submissions that demonstrate strong conceptual clarity, visual cohesion, and a thoughtful engagement with the complexities of American activism.

Vision(ary) is the Griffin Museum of Photography’s 7th Annual summer public art exhibition dedicated to the art of visual storytelling. This public art installation features over 20 individual exhibitions with distinct photographic styles. Additional banners hung on light standards and sidewalk art installations can be found throughout Winchester’s downtown.

The Town of Winchester plays host to this summer exhibition, with installations throughout Winchester Town Center. Photographers from around New England, across the country and around the world are highlighted in this unique format. The exhibition concept and Photo Cube structures are designed by our long time producing partner, Photoville.

This exhibition will be juried by the Griffin curatorial team, along with our honored guest juror, Elizabeth Krist. 

About Elizabeth Krist - 

Elizabeth Krist was a Senior Photo Editor with National Geographic magazine for over 20 years, and is a founding member of the Visual Thinking Collective. She is on the boards of Women Photograph and the W. Eugene Smith Fund, advises the Eddie Adams Workshop and Apple, and is a contributing editor for Virginia Quarterly Review. 

Elizabeth has collaborated on five Photoville installations--In This Together, from the 2025 festival, featured the work of 50 alumni of the Eddie Adams Workshop. National Geographic‘s Women of Vision, 100 images by 11 photographers, traveled to 10 museums and several festivals. She also curated exhibitions on China and ancient Greece for National Geographic, as well as an online auction for Christie‘s. 

She helps program speakers for the Eddie Adams Workshop, a role she performed for National Geographic’s Photography Seminar for over a dozen years. She also co-curated CatchLight’s 2023 Visual Storytelling Summit. She has been grateful to interview speakers and moderate panels for the International Center of Photography, Leica, National Geographic, and The Griffin Museum of Photography.

Elizabeth has freelanced for The New Yorker, the travel quarterly Smithsonian Journeys, and Magnum Photos, and has produced stories for Literary Hub. Before joining National Geographic, she worked at Fortune and at Asia. She edited the books Women of Vision, Pope Francis and the Vatican, and works with individual photographers on their book edits--most recently with Lynn Johnson, and also with Michael Yamashita for books on China and Japan. She has edited visuals for Magnum Foundation and CatchLight publications, and wrote the text for a National Geographic special issue.

In 2024 Elizabeth welcomed the opportunity to be a Joop Swart Masterclass mentor for World Press Photo. She teaches for the International Center of Photography and recently helped produce a workshop for CatchLight. She has reviewed portfolios for the New York Portfolio Review (hosted by The New York Times, Photoville, and CUNY), FotoFest, the Eddie Adams Workshop, and many other organizations. 

She has juried grants and competitions for the Leica Women Foto Project, W. Eugene Smith, CatchLight, Lenscratch, Review Santa Fe, the World Report Award, Pictures of the Year International, Best of Photojournalism, and the RFK Journalism Awards, among others.

In 2025 the National Press Photographers Association recognized Elizabeth with their Outstanding Leader Award, and in 2021 with the John Durniak Mentor Award. Her other honors include awards from Pictures of the Year International, the Overseas Press Club, and Communication Arts. 

About the Griffin - 

The Griffin Museum of Photography is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the art of photography. Through our many exhibitions, programs and lectures, we encourage a broader understanding and appreciation of the visual, emotional and social impact of photographic art. As an institution, we are committed to ensuring that our mindset, practice, outreach, programming and exhibitions set a framework with priorities for building programs and exhibitions that consider diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion through our mission that is centered around the photograph. At the Griffin Museum, you will find exhibitions from emerging talents, established photographic artists and well known photographers that explore important conversations and thought-provoking ideas using photography as thier chosen medium. All of our exhibitions and programs are designed to encourage the passionate exploration of the art of photography. 

Application Requirements

Artists are requsted to submit a complete or near-to-completion project that falls within the umbrella of advocacy and social justice.

Submissions

Submissions may be made directly to Café. You will be asked for the following materials -

• An artist statement Biography and CV
• A Project Statement
• Images and supporting visual materials

Artist Statement, Biography and CV

Include a brief biography and artistic cv (a single PDF that includes both bio and cv. In the PDF title include Vision(ary) and last name and first name.)

Project Statement - 

Project Statement (300–500 words) clearly outlining the scope, intent, and context of your work.

Images and Supporting Materials

Please submit your images in the order you wish them to appear. numbering from 1-10 will be helpful to the juror so they can see your intention with the works.

1. 10 images maximum. If selected for a cube, you may be asked to WeTransfer more images to us. These ten images should therefore give the best taste of your overall project. Show us the ten best!

2. Please ensure the image is a minimum of 1200px on the longest side, 72 dpi, in AdobeRGB color profile,.

General Information - 

Cafe is the only submission portal for this opportunity. No other means of submission will be accepted. All missing criteria will disqualify the submission. Emails will not be accepted as a method of submissions. 

Eligibility Criteria

ELIGIBILITY: This Call for Entries is open to all photographers.