Night Works
"Night changes the rules"
_edited_edited.jpg)
Light becomes scarce, shadows carry weight, and intention matters more. Details recede while others emerge. What is revealed at night is often quieter, more fragile, or more uncertain
—and sometimes more honest.
Night Works invites photographers to submit images made after dark, where night is not simply a setting but an active collaborator. These photographs may be dramatic or understated, urban or rural, populated or solitary. They may explore artificial light, long exposures, ambient glow, or near-total darkness. What matters is not subject, but how the night shapes the image.
We are drawn to photographs where darkness informs mood, structure, and meaning—where light is used deliberately, sparingly, or imperfectly. Night can suggest intimacy, isolation, vulnerability, calm, unease, or reflection. We welcome all interpretations.
Eligibility:
-
Open to photographers worldwide
-
All photographic approaches welcome:
-
fine art, documentary, conceptual, staged, experimental
Entry Fee:
-
$10 for one photograph
-
$25 up to 4 photographs
-
$5 for each additional photograph after 4
-
After 8 paid entries the next two are free
-
Image Requirements:
-
JPEG or JPG format
-
Minimum 2100 pixels on the long side
-
Name your files: First Name-Last Name_title.jpg
-
No watermarks or borders (borders are allowed if only a part of the total image)
-
Awards:
-
First Place: $500 + solo exhibition on the gallery website
-
Second Place: $300
-
Third Place: $200
-
Honorable Mentions
Time Line:
Deadline for Entry: March 31
Announcement of Selected Entries: April 15
Exhibition Launch: April 20 — June 20
Selection & Exhibition:
Selected images will be presented in an online exhibition on the Decagon Gallery website.
All selected photographers will receive:
-
Inclusion in the Night Works online exhibition
-
A digital exhibition badge and a printable certificate of participation
-
Promotion on Decagon Gallery’s social media channels
-
Inclusion in the printed exhibition catalog
Important Notes:
-
Images must have been made at night or clearly evoke nighttime conditions
-
By submitting, artists confirm they hold full rights to the submitted images
-
Submitted images may be used by Decagon Gallery for exhibition-related promotion with full artist credit
Copyright and Usage Rights:
-
You retain all rights, including copyright, to your photographs. We will never distribute your photos to anyone without your permission.
-
You grant Decagon Gallery permission to publish your photograph in the online exhibition, the printed catalog, a short video on our YouTube channel and website, and to promote the exhibition.
Night invites attention.
It asks us to look longer, and to see differently.
We look forward to seeing how you work when the light is limited—and what emerges when darkness becomes part of the process.
