Baltic photographers invited to apply for the Futures platform

Co-funded by the Creative Europe programme of the European Union, Futures is a Europe-based photography platform bringing together the global photography community to support and nurture the professional development of emerging artists across the world. Since 2017, it has aimed to add long-term value by empowering early and mid-career photographers, launching initiatives to promote their work, and granting them access to a network of professionals, markets, and audiences.

Every year, the Futures members nominate a group of artists to join the platform. By bringing together a wealth of resources and curatorial expertise, each talent selected by the members gains access to a wider network of professionals, markets, and audiences. The platform aims to stimulate the photographic economy from the bottom up by expanding the market. Futures also organises a series of events across Europe, including online activities for professional and artistic development and collaboration between art professionals and Futures talents. Every year, they are all brought together at the Futures main event in the second semester. In this annual event, Futures offers workshops, portfolio reviews, coaching sessions, exhibitions, and more.

The competition is open to photographers and artists who work with photography and who:

• are coming from or currently based in Latvia, Lithuaniam and Estonia;
• can demonstrate dedication and continuity in their artistic practice;
• are eager and ready to benefit from the international network, tutoring and exposure opportunities offered by the platform;
• have had an artistic practice lasting for a duration from 3 to 10 years, including at least one solo exhibition;
• can submit a strong photographic work developed during the last three years.

Participation in the Futures platform provides:

• participation grant of 500 euros per artist;
• conversations with international professionals, online and in-person;
• invitation to take part in the programme of networking events, workshops, and talks at the Futures Annual Event in October 2025 (travel costs and accommodation covered);
• access to the Magnum online education platform of talks and workshops especially developed for Futures artists;
• opportunity to apply to the internal open call for the annual traveling exhibition;
• opportunity to apply for a tutoring session with one of the platform members’ curators;
• all Futures artists are featured at the platform’s website and promoted via the Futures social media channels and the annual publication;
• participation in the online education platform, internal open calls, and other education and networking opportunities beyond 2025.

Artists can apply for participation in the Futures photography platform until January 5, 2025 by filling in the application form. Selected candidates will be informed by January 16 and should be ready to submit additional materials, including a full CV and a high-resolution photo of their work, by January 22.

The selection of the talents will be made by an international jury: the artistic director of Tallinn Photomonth Kulla Laas (Estonia), curator Ieva Meilute–Svinkūniene (Lithuania), artist and curator of the ISSP Gallery Iveta Gabaliņa (Latvia) and ISSP director Jūlija Berkoviča.

Participation in the Futures platform is one of the many activities that ISSP is carrying out to work on the development of the photography environment in Latvia and the promotion of Latvian photography abroad. ISSP participates in international fairs, organises exhibitions and international masterclasses with world-renowned artists and curators.