© Cody Cobb
FAQs & Guidelines
EARLY DISCOUNT DEADLINE • February 15, 2025 – 11:59 PM MT
FINAL SUBMISSION DEADLINE • March 15, 2025 – 11:59 PM MT
ANNOUNCEMENTS • Mid-May, 2025
2025 APPLICATIONS NOW OPEN • Project Launch Grant, Project Development Grant, Me&Eve Award, Multimedia Award, The CENTER Awards: Personal + Social + Environmental, and the Review Santa Fe Photo Symposium
2025 NOMINATIONS NOW OPEN • Callanan Excellence in Teaching Award
Eligibility
CENTER accepts submissions from photographers and lens-based artists around the world. Work can have been made at any time, and work that has been previously submitted may be re-submitted as we invite new jurors each year. Applicants may submit multiple projects within the same category as well as the same project to multiple categories.
Work derived from all photographic processes is accepted, and mixed media that is photo-based. Only the Multimedia Award, Review Santa Fe, and Blue Earth Fiscal Sponsorship applications accept video, multimedia files, and/or still images for submission.
WHO CANNOT ENTER • CENTER employees, board members, advisory council members, contest sponsors, and family members of the aforementioned may not apply to the Awards or Grants. Previous CENTER cash award/grant winners may enter but are ineligible to win again for up to 3 years.
If a photographer is represented by a major international photographic agency – applies only to the Project Development Grant and Project Launch Grant only.
ME&EVE AWARD • The Me&Eve Award accepts submissions from women, and/or LGBTQIA+ identifying photographers, who are 40 years of age and over. This includes female-identified, non-binary, gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer, gender non-conforming, questioning, asexual, intersex, and two-spirited identifying individuals.
GRANT FUNDS • Granted funds may be used for most expenses related to the project. Please be aware that no additional funds are available for exhibition or travel expenses to Santa Fe should that be requested during the Review Santa Fe event. However, you may use the allotted funds for those expenses. The cash award is the total amount dispersed.
If you have any questions, please email us at programs@centersantafe.org before submitting your application.
File Requirements
Q: WHAT ARE THE FILE & SIZING REQUIREMENTS?
A: JPGs and PNGs should be sized at 1400 pixels maximum on the longest side with a 150 maximum dpi and PNG or PDF documents should be under 5MB. Video and Audio files should be under 3 minutes and limited to 200 MB each.
Q: WHAT TYPES OF FILES ARE ACCEPTED?
A: We accept JPG, PDF, & PNG files for all application categories. Additional accepted file types for only the Multimedia Award, Review Santa Fe, and Blue Earth Fiscal Sponsorship include MP3, MP4, and MOV. Video files can be hosted on Vimeo, YouTube, or a similar service, or can be uploaded directly in the submission form. Please note, the larger the files are, the longer it takes for them to upload for the jurors.
Q: HOW SHOULD I LABEL MY FILES?
A: Begin the filename with a lowercase alphabetical letter, underscore, and the image title in the filename [ex: a_Title.jpg, b_Title.jpg].
Q: DO YOU ACCEPT OR REQUIRE A RÉSUMÉ OR CV FOR APPLICATION?
A: No, we do not accept or review any résumés or artist CVs. Résumés are requested from the Blue Earth Sponsorship applicants only.
Application FAQs
Q: I JUST PAID, WHERE DO I APPLY/UPLOAD MY FILES?
A: You will upload and submit your work within our online submission portal that is sent to you via email once your payment has been processed.
Q: WHERE IS MY CONFIRMATION EMAIL?
A: Please check your spam/junk folder for an email labeled ‘Awards, Grants, or Review Santa Fe Payment Confirmation. ’ If you don’t receive it after 30 minutes, please email us. Please add our emails to your contacts to ensure our communications do not end up in your spam folder: payment receipts will come from programs@visitcenter.org.
Q: WHY DO I HAVE TO REGISTER WITH SUBMITTABLE TO APPLY?
A: CENTER has a custom Submittable account. You must create or have a CENTER Submittable account in order to submit your application; a standard Submittable account will not work.
Q: WHY CAN I NOT ACCESS SUBMITTABLE?
A: You most likely do not have a CENTER Submittable account. A normal Submittable login will not work on our secondary site. Please note, submitting payment in the CENTER entry form does not create a CENTER Submittable account. The information requested at the time of payment and submitting your work is separate.
Q: I JUST SIGNED UP AS A MEMBER, WHERE IS MY SUBMISSION LOGIN INFORMATION?
A: Becoming a CENTER Member does not count as payment to the Calls for Entry. You must fill out the application form and pay to receive access to upload images.
Q: MAY I SUBMIT TWO OR MORE BODIES OF WORK TO THE SAME CATEGORY?
A: Yes, you can submit more than one portfolio to the same category, however, you must pay for any additional entries – this applies to all submission categories.
Q: CAN I SUBMIT MORE THAN 6 IMAGES TO THE AWARDS?
A: Yes, and we can send over an invoice for the additional images/files. After you have submitted, please email us with the number of images, and provide an email for us to send an invoice through PayPal.
Q: CAN I UPLOAD THE SAME PORTFOLIO TO MULTIPLE CATEGORIES?
A: Absolutely, you can submit the same portfolio to any number of categories.
Q: CAN I EDIT MY SUBMISSION?
A: Only once you have submitted your application can you submit a request to edit through the submission portal in your drafted submission OR you can email us and request we re-open your submission for editing. Located in the ‘My Submission’ tab under the application, you can access the editing field under the ‘Form’ tab. Changes are allowed until the final submission deadline.
Criteria and Jury Process
Q: WHAT ARE THE SELECTION CRITERIA?
A: 1) Projects, as well as all submitted text, should be examples of excellence within the discipline, both visually and conceptually. 2) The award, grant, and Review Santa Fe recipients should be at a place in their work and career where they can benefit from the exposure, networks, and opportunities that CENTER offers. 3) The photographer must be committed and work to advance the project with the support received.
Q: DO YOU “PRE-SCREEN”?
A: No, all work submitted is seen by the designated category jurors only.
Q: WHAT ARE JURORS LOOKING FOR?
A: The jurors are looking for cohesive, compelling bodies of work, or singular images, that are ready for international recognition and support.
Q: IS THERE A TIME LIMIT WITHIN WHICH THE PHOTOGRAPHS SHOULD HAVE BEEN TAKEN?
A: No, you may submit work regardless of the date it was created.
Q: CAN WE APPLY AS A DUO OR GROUP?
A: Yes, please use one artist’s name and information on the application, and in your project statement, note that this is a collaboration. To ensure a blind jury process, please do not list the group of artists’ names in the project statement. Please note, that winners will receive one slot at Review Santa Fe, so the group would sit together in front of each reviewer.
Q: WILL I RECEIVE FEEDBACK ON THE WORK?
A: Due to the number of submissions, the jurors cannot provide specific feedback at this time.
Review Santa Fe Symposium FAQs
Q: WHERE DOES REVIEW SANTA FE TAKE PLACE?
A: The Review Santa Fe Photo Symposium and portfolio reviews take place November 1-3 at the LaFonda on the Plaza hotel, Santa Fe, NM.
Q: HOW MANY REVIEWS WILL I RECEIVE?
A: Tuition includes up to nine 20-minute formal reviews.
Q: HOW LONG ARE THE PORTFOLIO REVIEWS?
A: Twenty-minutes each.
Q: WILL I HAVE A CHOICE OF REVIEWERS?
A: Yes, after you have been invited, you will have the opportunity to enter in the reviewers in order of your preference into an electronic lottery system approximately two weeks prior to the event. Over 80% of the participants receive reviewers in their top 15 reviewer choices.
Q: CAN I SHOW MORE THAN ONE PORTFOLIO DURING MY REVIEW SESSIONS?
A: Yes, you can bring more than one series during the portfolio review sessions.
Blue Earth Fiscal Sponsorship
IMPORTANT CONSIDERATIONS BEFORE APPLYING –
• Before sending in your proposal, please make sure you understand that the CENTER 501(c)(3) Fiscal Sponsorship is a U.S. tax status that may be used to approach companies, foundations, and private individuals for tax-deductible donations.
• This Fiscal Sponsorship does not include direct project funding or grants. Photographers and filmmakers are solely responsible for fundraising for the project. Receiving the Fiscal Sponsorship does not eliminate the work required on your part to secure grants and donations to fund the project.
• All requests for funds under the organization’s name are subject to CENTER approval and are made on behalf of CENTER, which will administer the funds and, after deducting a 10% administration fee, distribute those funds to the project as it progresses.
• There are only 1-3 spots available per year, not all work that is submitted will be accepted.
Submission Fees
CENTER is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization, and we aim for accessibility in each of our programs. If you are not able to afford the entry fees and would like to apply, please apply for a fee waiver.
FEE WAIVERS • Submission Fee Waivers are available on a case-by-case basis for those who cannot afford the entry fees for whatever reason. To apply, you must fill out the Submission Fee Waiver Request Form before the deadline of 10:00 AM Mountain Time on Friday, March 14, 2025. Please note, there are no extensions.
QUESTIONS? • Please contact us at (505) 933-9146 or email us at programs@centersantafe.org.
How-To Enter Video
Want an inside view of the application process? Join Programs Manager Whitney Wernick in the ‘How-To ENTER CENTER‘ webinar that will walk you through the application and submission process and cover some frequently asked questions.
Access the How-To Video →
Usage & Copyright
Application fees for all categories are non-refundable after the deadline. Any applications submitted after the final deadline will not be reviewed.
USAGE & COPYRIGHT • The photographer always retains the rights to their submitted images, files, and videos. By completing the application, the photographer grants CENTER permission, upon receiving an Award, Grant, or invitation to Review Santa Fe, to reproduce works from their submitted materials in connection with the administration, judging, and promotion of CENTER, the Awards, Grants, Review Santa Fe, the CENTER Archive, and other programs.
Permissible uses of the images submitted shall include their reproduction, distribution, and display in CENTER exhibitions, multimedia presentations, and printed materials related to the promotion of CENTER and the Awards, Grants, Review Santa Fe, the CENTER Archive, and events. CENTER shall have the right to grant permissions to the press and publicity agents in connection with the promotion of the CENTER Awards, Grants, Review Santa Fe, exhibitions, the CENTER Archive, and events. All promotional pieces (print, social platforms, e-newsletters, and online features) include credit to the photographers.
CENTER maintains a CENTER Image Library & Archive, which includes 25 years of Review Santa Fe Alumni Listings. To provide a more comprehensive resource, we may include submissions to the Project Grants, Awards, and Review Santa Fe in the future. To sponsors, reviewers, and CENTER team members, please contact us directly via email if you wish to be removed from the archive.
LIABILITY • Submissions from national and international photographers are welcome to all categories. All winners are responsible for the duties of any prizes awarded and the shipping, packing, and delivery of work. Please note - CENTER is not liable for any damage as a result of shipping, packaging, or delivery of work.
Submission to any of CENTER’s Awards, Grants, and Review Santa Fe signifies acceptance of all the above conditions stated.
Supporters
