PHOTO-CANOPY returns this year with an exciting new theme developed in collaboration with Artist in Residence Darren Crawforth, who is exploring the thought-provoking question: What Does Hope Sound Like?

Hope can be quiet or loud, personal or collective, tangible or imagined. It can be found in acts of resistance, moments of connection, dreams for the future, memories of the past, and the stories we tell ourselves and each other. As part of this year's PHOTO-CANOPY, we invite creatives from all disciplines to respond to this theme in ways that are meaningful to them.

We welcome submissions from artists, poets, photographers, fashion and textile artists, film makers, graphic designers, performance artists, ceramicists, dancers, storytellers, and anyone working creatively across or between disciplines. Whether your response takes the form of an image, text, object, performance, installation, digital work, or something entirely unexpected, we encourage you to interpret the question freely and imaginatively.

This open call is an opportunity to share diverse perspectives and explore how hope resonates across different experiences, communities, and creative practices. Join us in creating a collective canopy of voices, visions, and ideas that asks what does hope sounds like.

Submissions should be accompanied by a short artist statement (up to 200 words) outlining your response to the theme. The deadline for submissions is 31 October 2026. Please email your submission and statement to photocanopy.nationalforest@gmail.com.

Submission Guidelines

• Images and photography: JPEG, PNG or PDF

• Written work (poetry, stories, text-based submissions): PDF or Word document (.doc/.docx)

• Graphic design and illustrations: PDF, JPEG or PNG

• Audio work: MP3 or WAV

• Video and performance work: MP4 or a link to an online platform (YouTube, Vimeo, etc.)

• 3D work (ceramics, sculpture, textiles, fashion): Up to 5 high-quality JPEG images, with optional PDF supporting material

• Other formats: Please contact us to discuss alternative submission methods

Submission Information

Submissions should be accompanied by a short artist statement (up to 200 words) outlining your response to the theme.

Deadline for submissions: 31 October 2026

How to submit: Email your submission and statement to photocanopy.nationalforest@gmail.com

Selection process: Successful applicants will be notified by 20 November 2026. Selected works will be exhibited as part of PHOTO-CANOPY in December 2026.

Copyright: Copyright remains with the artist. By submitting work, artists grant PHOTO-CANOPY permission to reproduce, print, exhibit, and promote the work in connection with the exhibition, including publication on the PHOTO-CANOPY website, social media channels, and future PHOTO-CANOPY publications.

Eligibility: The open call is free to enter and welcomes submissions from emerging and established creatives across all disciplines.

Maximum of 3 submission per artist!

While the theme asks "What Does Hope Sound Like?", we invite submissions that move beyond the literal. Hope may be visual, tactile, embodied, spoken, written, performed, or imagined. We welcome creative responses in any medium that interpret the feeling, experience, presence, or possibility of hope.