[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
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[Exhibition Update]
Congratulations to the winners of LibertyTown Arts Workshops exhibition, Joy! A Celebration of Queer Happiness!
“In this month’s exhibition, we wanted to present an exhibition to coincide with Pride Month as we celebrate and support our LGBTQIA2S+ community. We wanted a show that felt bright and cheerful, but didn’t want to candy coat anything, or be toxically positive to us, Pride Month is about the basic right to be safe and happy and while that’s simple in concept, it’s not so simple to achieve with all the hate that still poisons the well. And that’s exactly what makes Pride so moving: It’s an expression of effervescent joy; the kind of joy that only comes from emerging or being released from oppression. Joy in the face of oppression is defiant. It is both protest and a basic right.” – LibertyTown
See the exhibition online at https://libertytownarts.com/2024/06/05/joy-a-celebration-of-queer-happiness-a-national-juried-exhibition/
[Side Arts Certified Sponsored Listing] Libertytown Arts Workshop announces a call for artists for Joy! A Celebration of Queer Happiness, a national juried art exhibition.
LibertyTown doesn’t want to candy coat anything, or be toxically positive, but it seems like everything that everyone is working toward with Pride is about the basic right to be safe and happy. While that is simple in concept, it’s not so simple to achieve with all the hate that still poisons the well. That’s what makes Pride so moving for LibertyTown. It’s an expression of effervescent joy; the kind of joy that only comes from emerging or being released from oppression. Joy in the face of oppression is defiant. It is a protest. LibertyTown feels like that is the core of contemporary Pride. Show them your art that celebrates defiant joy, be it in the smallest moments of domesticity or the larger expressions of breaking free.
Click here for the application / registration (Closed)
Enter by: 20 May 2024
Application Fees:
- 1st piece (Non-member): $25
- 1st piece (Libertytown Member): $15
- Each additional piece: $ 5
All artists age 16 and older, working in any media, may apply to this show. Work previously exhibited in LibertyTown’s gallery is not eligible. Work must be original, not from kits, and completed in the last 5 years.
Work accepted into the show must be for sale. Applications must be submitted electronically; no physical pieces will be accepted at the gallery for jurying. Work that will be displayed must be ready to show, with no unfired media, and no wet paint or other unfinished surfaces. LibertyTown will provide pedestals and shelving as needed. LibertyTown reserves the right to reject works accepted by the juror due to content, space constraints, or inability to properly install the work.
Calendar
- 5/22: Notifications sent via Submittable Only
- 6/3: Accepted work due at LibertyTown by 8PM
- 6/7: Opening reception
- 6/30: Show closes, unsold work may be picked up/will be shipped back
Joy! A Celebration of Queer Happiness Awards:
- 1st Place: $400
- 2nd Place: $200
- 3rd Place: $100
LibertyTown keeps a commission of 40% on all show sales. Artists are responsible for any costs related to transporting accepted work to the gallery and transporting unsold work away at the end of the show. Artists applying to this show grant LibertyTown Arts Workshop unlimited non-exclusive right to use images of accepted work to promote the exhibit and the gallery.
About LibertyTown Arts Workshop
LibertyTown Arts Workshop is a 13,000 square foot art facility located in downtown, Fredericksburg, Virginia. LibertyTown is home to over 80 artists, working artists’ studios, and a full spectrum of art classes offered to the public. Main gallery Shows rotate monthly. This ensures that LibertyTown is always presenting new items for local patrons to enjoy and experience. LibertyTown features show items for viewing and sale on their website and features show items on Facebook and Instagram pages. Located downtown, the location is walkable, and they have many visitors local and visiting. LibertyTown participates in First Friday art receptions, which is a well-attended event that happens monthly.
For more information, contact info@libertytownarts.com