The Exhibition

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Some photographs reveal. Others withhold.

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Decagon Gallery invites photographers worldwide to submit work for Seen / Unseen, an exhibition exploring the tension between what a photograph makes visible and what it deliberately or instinctively leaves unresolved.

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We are interested in photographs that operate through implication rather than explanation — images where meaning exists not only in what is shown, but also in what remains hidden, obscured, fragmented, restrained, or psychologically distant. The strongest works will hold tension between presence and absence, clarity and ambiguity, intimacy and concealment.

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This exhibition is not limited to any single genre or visual approach. Portraiture, landscapes, still life, documentary, conceptual, and constructed images are all welcome. What matters is not the subject itself, but the photograph’s ability to suggest something beyond immediate visibility.

We are drawn to images that resist full disclosure. A gesture, a shadow, a fragmented body, a withheld expression, an empty space carrying human residue — all may function as forms of partial revelation. Literal interpretations of the theme may be considered, but preference will be given to photographs that move beyond obvious symbolism and allow complexity, uncertainty, or emotional instability to remain inside the frame.

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The strongest photographs will not simply illustrate the idea of the unseen. They will embody it.

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The Juror

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Ann M. Jastrab is Executive Director of the Center for Photographic Art (CPA) in Carmel, California, where she works to advance photography through exhibition, education, and publication. She is also a curator, writer, and artist whose work has been exhibited internationally. Through CPA and her broader curatorial practice, she has become widely recognized for supporting contemporary photography that engages deeply with personal vision, emotional resonance, and visual storytelling.

  

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Awards and Recognition

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$1,000 Total Cash Awards

First Place: $500 + Solo Exhibition on the Decagon Gallery website
Second Place: $250
Third Place: $150

Two Honorable Mentions: $50 each

Human Presence Nomination: Free of charge entry to one future Decagon Gallery Open Call of the photographer’s choice

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All selected photographers receive:

 

– Inclusion in the curated online exhibition
– Dedicated exhibition page on Decagon Gallery
– Feature on Decagon’s Instagram
– Inclusion in the exhibition catalog

 

Submission Details:
 

Open to photographers worldwide, 18 years and older. All photographic styles and processes are welcome. Each submission may include up to 8 images.

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Please submit JPG files sized to 2100 pixels on the long side. Images should not contain text, watermarks, borders, frames, or additional graphic elements. We want the work to be experienced as directly and clearly as possible.​

 

Artists retain full rights to their images. Decagon Gallery may use submitted images for exhibition-related promotion with full credit to the photographer. Submission implies agreement with all exhibition terms.