Open Source offers early-career photographers a chance to exhibit their work digitally on Open Eye Gallery’s exterior screen, connecting public space with contemporary photographic practice.
Rolling submission – open year-round
Open Source is an ongoing submission-based open call by Open Eye Gallery, designed to amplify the voices of emerging and developing photographers. Selected artists have their work displayed on the gallery’s digital screen for the duration of each in-gallery exhibition, creating a visual dialogue between indoor and outdoor audiences. The initiative welcomes photographic projects that expand the conversations taking place within the gallery, offering new ways of seeing and understanding the issues explored through its programme.
What is Open Source
The platform provides continuous opportunities for photographers to present their work to a broad public. There is no fixed theme or submission limit, although projects engaging with the gallery’s ongoing topics — such as sustainability, community, and social mobility — are encouraged. The goal is to make lesser-known photographers visible and to strengthen the connection between art, place and audience.
Why it matters
The digital window functions as a bridge between art and the community, offering onlookers an accessible encounter with contemporary photography. Open Source emerged from Open Eye Gallery’s commitment to support artists at the start of their careers, providing a platform where talent and experimentation can be publicly celebrated. The project fosters visibility, participation and exchange within Liverpool’s creative ecosystem and beyond.
Online presence and opportunities
Each selected artist is featured in the online Open Source roster, including links to their website or print sales page. The evolving catalogue showcases a range of photographic perspectives tied to Open Eye Gallery’s curatorial programme. Participants may also be invited to take over the gallery’s Instagram account or present public events related to their work. All photographers retain full copyright of their images, which are only used to promote the Open Source platform and the artists themselves, always with written consent.
Submission guidelines
- Submissions are open year-round; there is no entry fee or theme.
- Photographic projects addressing sustainability, social mobility, community or Liverpool’s local context are particularly welcome.
- Each image must be a .jpg file under 2MB, titled with the photographer’s name and order (e.g., FirstnameLastname01.jpg).
- Include a single PDF containing: series title, photographer’s name, short bio (max 100 words), series statement (max 100 words), contact details and website URL.
- Attach images separately (not zipped). Successful applicants will later provide high-resolution files.
- Send submissions via email to opensource@openeye.org.uk.
About Open Eye Gallery
Based in Liverpool, Open Eye Gallery is one of the UK’s leading photography institutions, known for its socially engaged exhibitions and public programmes. Open Source extends this mission beyond the gallery walls, transforming its exterior screen into a space for dialogue and discovery.
For more international photography opportunities and open calls, visit our Open Calls section.
