IPFA – International Photography Festivals Association

In 2025 Lens op de Mens joined the International Photography Festivals Association

About the IPFA

The International Photography Festivals Association (IPFA) aspires to be a global network uniting more than 1.000 photography festivals existing in the world. Their goal is to establish this association to foster collaboration, innovation, and professionalization within the photography festival community. This initiative aims to provide a platform where directors, curators, producers, and artists can elevate their festivals through networking, knowledge sharing and best practices. The IPFA’s goal is to create an inclusive and horizontal event where all photography and photobook festivals and fairs are invited to participate, from the most emerging to the most established and well-established.

IPFA core values

• Transparancy
• International Collaboration
• Diversity and Inclusion
• Innovation and Experimentation
• Cultural Sustainability

IPFA Award 2025 (closed for entries)

The International Photography Festivals Association (IPFA) invites photographers and artists from all over the world to take part in the IPFA Award. This open call goes beyond a traditional prize; it is an international platform to explore, share and transform contemporary photography, connecting photographers with festivals, curators and audiences worldwide. From your images to the world: join this global movement of photography festivals.

Your work will have the opportunity to be seen by directors and curators of photography festivals around the globe, expanding your visibility and international reach. With a single application, your project will be reviewed by 20 international curators. You may be selected for a solo exhibition at a participating festival or take part in a collective exhibition opening on 19 March 2026 in Barcelona, which will later travel to various festivals.

With no fixed theme, we welcome projects of any style or approach, including contemporary, documentary, social, urban and street, analogue, nature and wildlife, or creative and experimental photography. Each project will be evaluated by a jury composed of representatives from 20 photography festivals, ensuring diversity of perspectives and selection criteria. Submissions will be assessed for originality, innovation, visual coherence, narrative strength and international projection potential.

Viktoria Chocholová (SK) selected guest photographer at Lens op de Mens 2027

From the 20 winners of the 2025 IPFA Award, Lens op de Mens selected Viktoria Chocholová from Slovakia for a solo exhibition entitled “Thread Holds a Memory” during the 2027 edition of our festival.