Call Description

THEME

The Colorado Photographic Arts Center (CPAC) is pleased to announce Show Us Your Downtown, an online juried exhibition celebrating Colorado’s 150th anniversary of statehood.

In honor of this milestone year, we invite residents from across Colorado to explore and share the downtowns that define their communities. From historic main streets to evolving urban centers, downtowns are places of connection, creativity, commerce, and change. They reflect our shared history while shaping the future of our state.

We encourage photographers of all skill levels to submit new or previously created images capturing downtown areas anywhere in Colorado. Interpretations of “downtown” are intentionally open — ranging from historic landmarks and civic spaces to contemporary developments, cultural hubs, neighborhood corridors, and everyday architectural details that give your community its character.

All forms of imagery are welcome, including black-and-white and color photography, streetscapes, public spaces, and architecture.

Thirty images will be selected for a juried online exhibition hosted on CPAC’s website in conjunction with the celebration of Colorado’s 150 years of statehood.

We invite you to show us what makes your downtown uniquely yours.

DEADLINES & INFORMATION
Call for Entry opens: Friday, May 22, 2026

Applicant submission deadline: Tuesday, June 30, 2026 midnight MDT

Notice of Acceptance: Thursday, July 30, 2026

Online Exhibition dates: August 21 - December 31, 2026

Exhibition juror: Darrin Alfred, Curator of Architecture and Design, Denver Art Museum

Fees: $15 for 3 images

AWARDS
Winners will be notified in a separate email after selection notifications are sent out (see Liability & Agreement below). 

Best in Show will receive:

• CPAC friend level membership

Honorable Mention(s) will receive:

• CPAC individual membership

JUROR BIO
Darrin Alfred is Curator of Architecture and Design and Head of Architecture and Design and The Kirkland at the Denver Art Museum (DAM). He oversees both departments’ exhibitions and programming, as well as one of the American West’s most significant collections of design and decorative arts, dating from the Middle Ages to the present.

Alfred’s curatorial projects at DAM include Knife Fork Spoon: Everyday Tools, Extraordinary Design (opening May 2026), Biophilia: Nature Reimagined (2024), Gio Ponti: Designer of a Thousand Talents (2021); Serious Play: Design in Midcentury America (2018), organized with the Milwaukee Art Museum; Pattern Play: The Contemporary Designs of Jacqueline Groag (2013); and The Psychedelic Experience: Rock Posters from the San Francisco Bay Area, 1965-71 (2009). 

Opening in October 2021, Alfred conceived and developed the DAM’s new design galleries. Spanning more than 11,000 square feet of new and renovated space designed by OMA New York, these galleries showcase the museum’s architecture and design collection through various thematic presentations and provide an engaging setting for a deeper appreciation and understanding of design.

Previously, Alfred held positions in the Architecture and Design department at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA), the Heinz Architectural Center at the Carnegie Museum of Art, and Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation. He has contributed to numerous publications such as Biophilia: Nature Reimagined (2024), Gio Ponti in the American West (2020), Serious Play: Design in Midcentury America (2018), Warhol in Colorado (2011), and Campana Brothers: Complete Works (So Far) (2010).

Alfred earned a Master of Landscape Architecture from the University of Colorado Denver and a Bachelor of Arts in Architectural Studies from the University of Pittsburgh.

ABOUT THE COLORADO PHOTOGRAPHIC ARTS CENTER
We support photographers at every level through resources, education, and opportunities while creating a welcoming space for everyone to engage with photography. Learn more at cpacphoto.org. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

Application Requirements

ELIGIBILITY
Entry is open to regional photographers, age 18 or older. The following media are eligible: film; scanner; screen-capture; digital camera; and any means of mobile photography. No video submissions allowed. If work using AI is submitted, please be sure to note the use of AI. 

In the title of your submission please list the location of the photograph in Colorado.

Eligibility Criteria

ENTRY GUIDELINES
Please submit through CAFÉ and use the Call for Entry Media Prep for image upload guidelines. If you have any questions about the guidelines, please call 303-837-1341 or email info@cpacphoto.org.