[Verified Listing] Decagon Gallery announces a call for artists for Something Like Joy, an online photography juried competition.  Submit photography that finds delight, warmth, wonder, or beauty in the world as it actually is. Big celebrations and quiet moments are equally welcome. So is the complicated happiness that comes after hardship — the laugh through tears, the small victory, the unexpected gift.

We’re talking about the joy that surprises you — that shows up in an ordinary afternoon, in a stranger’s face, in light falling just right on something nobody else noticed.

If your photography looks for the good — in people, in places, in everyday life — this call is definitely for you. ​​$1,000 in total cash awards.

Click here for the application / registration

Enter by: 15 September 2026

Juror: Aline Smithson

Awards

Cash awards, plus a solo exhibition feature for First Place.

• 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 entry to a future Decagon open call

All selected photographs will be included in the curated exhibition, a dedicated exhibition page, Instagram feature, and inclusion in the printed catalog.

Announcements will be made on Decagon’s newsletter to the gallery email list and on Instagram.

Testimonials

I am so grateful for your enthusiastic approach to photographers and their work. It feels like there is a real person on the other end of the email/s – T.O.

I thank all the Decagon Gallery team for their work and I salute my fellow photographers, whose diverse and creative approaches to our common language have been very enriching and fulfilling. – A.D.

Thank you Decagon for including me in your wonderful exhibitions. It is an honor to have shown with you numerous times. I look forward to continuing to share my work with the gallery in the future. The thoughtful themes, well crafted shows and beautifully printed books of each exhibit all enhance the experience of submitting to Decagon! Thank you! – J.A.

About Decagon Gallery

Decagon Gallery celebrates contemporary photography in all its dimensions. Just like the ten angles of a decagon, each exhibition reveals a distinct perspective—diverse, dynamic, and thoughtfully curated to expand the way we see the world through images.

As a photography platform based in Brooklyn, New York, Decagon promotes contemporary photography exhibitions and offers curated platforms for photographers to showcase their work. Decagon Gallery was founded by John Manno (Brooklyn), who serves as Director, working alongside Teona Machavariani (Tbilisi), Curator of Artistic Programs.

Decagon’s mission is to support photographers who are expanding visual language and redefining the possibilities of the medium today. By showcasing a wide range of artists, the gallery creates space for deeper engagement with the ongoing conversation surrounding contemporary photographic practice.

For more information, contact info@decagongallery.com