With the support of photo basel, Picter and Form., we are proud to launch the Form Photo Award 2026 dedicated to contemporary photography. This annual photography competition is dedicated to discovering emerging voices, fresh aesthetics, and thought-provoking themes. It aims to foster global dialogue, intellectual exchange, and cross-cultural solidarity within the art community.
Last years, alongside receiving a cash prize, the winners of the Form Photo Award had their projects exhibited in Paris, and during Miami Scope with Form Gallery. For 2026, the the winners will receive free participation in photo basel Fair 2026 during Art Basel.
Exhibiting at this leading-edge art fair—attended annually by over thousands gallerists, curators, collectors, critics, and photography professionals—offers an unparalleled opportunity to reach new audiences, gain meaningful recognition, and connect with key figures in the international photography scene.
The winning projects will also be featured in Form Magazine, providing further exposure to an international readership and enhancing the artists’ professional visibility.
Our previous winners’ exhibition at Miami Art Scope was attended by over 80,000 visitors. Works by past winners were sold to private collectors and institutions, providing an incredible opportunity to advance their careers and establish themselves in the high-end art market
November 2025 - submission
February 2025 - end of submission
March 2025 - shortlist with 10 projects is announced
April 2025 - winners announcement
- Applications are accepted online only.
- Each application must include the following materials:
- A short biography (up to 150 words)
- A project description (up to 400 words)
- 1–8 photographs taken between 2020 and 2025
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Sven Eisenhut-Hug__________Co-Founder and Founding Co-Director of Art Salon Zürich, and the Director and Co-Founder of photo basel GmbH—Switzerland's first international art fair dedicated exclusively to photography. Held annually during Art Basel week, photo basel features approximately 40 international galleries showcasing a wide range of photographic practices and artists. Under Eisenhut-Hug’s leadership, the fair has successfully expanded to Berlin and Miami, becoming a pivotal event on the international art calendar. Widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in photography
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Elwira Spychalska__________Art historian specializing in modern art and photography. She has been part of photo basel for the past eight years and has served as the fair’s curator for its tenth edition. In addition to her curatorial work, she has collaborated with other art fairs such as Art Salon Zurich and works in art museums in Basel, where she continues to engage with contemporary art practices. Her passion lies in creating meaningful encounters between artists, collectors, institutions, and audiences — supporting photography in all its diverse forms and contexts
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Dimitri Bogachuk__________Founder of Form. Gallery / Publishing / Magazine - co-founder of Photo Kyiv Fair, artist and curator he graduated from the National Academy of Culture and Arts in Kyiv, where he majored in art expertise. Numerous of photography educational programs he share his experience to audience and create a powerful base and ecosystem for young talented wave of young photographers - some of them now established photographers exhibited in galleries, museums, fairs around the world, including Fotografiska and Center Pompidou, Paris.
• Each candidate must provide:
- A short biography
- Description of the project.
- From 1 to 8 photos taken or published in the last 5 years (starting in 2020)
- Digital images must be provided in JPG format, with a resolution no more than 2000 pixels in length. The image file size should be at most 2 MB.
• professionals or amateurs, art school students or the school of photography, independent photographers.
• all nationalities.
• over 18 years old.
Copyright:
The participants retain the copyright to all their photos.
In case the work is selected for the exhibition, the participants undertake to ensure its safety. They are responsible for checking that the saved photos do not violate the rights of third parties or organisations.
Participants whose applications have been accepted grant the Form Photo Award the right to use their photos for marketing purposes at the exhibition, including publications in the exhibition press, posting on the FORM website and in all communication media related to the FORM.
Registration is open from May 20, 2025, until August 1, 2025 (23:59 CET)
The submitted photos can be either black and white or colour.
They must belong in whole or in part to a series of photographs.