PhotoNOLA

10/15/2026

CALL TO ARTISTS: The deadline to submit your work to “Seeing Sound” is TOMORROW NIGHT!

We are so excited to be partnering with the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation, Inc. for our next exhibition, which will be held in their gallery space. This exhibition is during PhotoNOLA Festival! .festival

Curatorial Premise: Music and photography have a long and vibrant relationship. The New Orleans Photo Alliance and the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Foundation invite submissions of your best photographs of these interconnected art forms — from stages to streets, from full orchestras to solo practice sessions. Photographers are encouraged to think broadly about form, format, process, and approach: as many ways that there are to arrange sounds into music, there are equally as many ways to make a photograph. In the spirit of Roy DeCarava’s “The Sound That I Saw,” this call for entry invites a wide and improvisational approach to making lens-based work about the sound and images that move us, in New Orleans and beyond.

The 2026 “Seeing Sound” juror is Bruce “Sunpie” Barnes, a New Orleans musician, photographer, book author, and leader of Sunpie and the Louisiana Sunspots.

Submissions are due October 16, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. CT. Submit through the link in our bio.

📸: Leslie Tabony

10/14/2026

The deadline to submit your work to CURRENTS 2026 is THREE DAYS AWAY!

CURRENTS is the annual PhotoNOLA showcase exhibition at Ogden Museum of Southern Art highlighting 8–10 portfolios of diverse photographic work created by New Orleans Photo Alliance members. Featuring up to 4 images per selected photographer, it offers an overview of contemporary photographic practices and projects.

The CURRENTS 2026 juror is Bill Boling, book publisher and creator of Fall Line Press.

Submissions are due October 16, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. CT. Submit through the link: https://opportunities.wearecreativewest.org/opportunity/18130/CAFE Selected work will be on view from December 4, 2026, to February 1, 2027.

CURRENTS 2026 submissions are open to New Orleans Photo Alliance members. Not a member yet? You can join through the link: https://neworleansphotoalliance.org/membership/

📸: Gregory Miller

10/13/2026

Donate an Item to Our Annual PhotoNOLA Auction!

We’re looking for donations for the PhotoNOLA Festival auction! Donating is a great way to get your art, business, or creative work in front of a new audience while supporting our community. We welcome all kinds of donations — not just artwork, but also gift cards, experiences, products, services, and more! Every contribution makes a difference and helps sustain our organization so we can continue creating opportunities and bringing people together through photography.

Find the donation form through the link: https://photonola.org/photonola-sponsor-info-form/?mc_cid=1abb382446&mc_eid=2db5f89ce8

10/12/2026

PhotoNOLA portfolio review scholarship applications are now OPEN!

These scholarships offer photographers an opportunity to participate in portfolio reviews, connect with industry professionals, receive thoughtful feedback on their work, and build relationships that can support their creative growth. We encourage photographers who would benefit from this opportunity to apply and share their work with the PhotoNOLA community. Our goal is to make portfolio reviews accessible to a wider range of artists and help emerging and established photographers alike take the next step in their practice. Scholarship opportunities are only eligible for New Orleans-based photographers.

Scholarship applications close on November 5. Apply through the link: https://photonola.org/scholarship-request-form/

10/08/2026

CALL TO ARTISTS: Seeing Sound

The deadline to submit your work to “Seeing Sound” is approaching!

We are so excited to be partnering with the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation for our next exhibition, which will be held in their gallery space during PhotoNOLA Festival!

Curatorial Premise: Music and photography have a long and vibrant relationship. The New Orleans Photo Alliance and the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Foundation invite submissions of your best photographs of these interconnected art forms - from stages to streets, from full orchestras to solo practice sessions. Photographers are encouraged to think broadly about form, format, process, and approach: as many ways that there are to arrange sounds into music, there are equally as many ways to make a photograph. In the spirit of Roy DeCarava’s “The Sound That I Saw,” this call for entry invites a wide and improvisational approach to making lens-based work about the sound and images that move us, in New Orleans and beyond.

The 2026 Seeing Sound juror is Bruce “Sunpie” Barnes, a New Orleans musician, photographer, author, and leader of Sunpie and the Louisiana Sunspots.

Submissions are due October 16, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. CT. Submit through the link: https://opportunities.wearecreativewest.org/opportunity/18131/CAFE?_gl=1*1ygxk5c*_ga*NTU3MTc3NzI1LjE3ODgxODQwNzQ.*_ga_QD6B0NHEYD*czE3OTA3NzMxOTAkbzI5JGcxJHQxNzkwNzczNDU2JGo2MCRsMCRoMA..

📸: Eli Mergel

Music and photography have a long and vibrant relationship. The New Orleans Photo Alliance and the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Foundation invite submissions of your best photographs of these interconnected art forms.

07/01/2026

HELLO! Here again, reminding you to mark your calendars! The 21st annual PhotoNOLA Festival returning here in New Orleans from December 2 - December 6

Portfolio Reviews! Workshops! Exhibitions! A photobook fair! Artist talks! And countless networking opportunities to grow your photography community.

Mark your calendars, and we hope to see both old faces and new SOON!

06/04/2026

HELLO! Here again, reminding you to mark your calendars!

The 21st annual PhotoNOLA Festival returning here in New Orleans from December 2 - December 6 .festival

Portfolio Reviews! Workshops! Exhibitions! A photobook fair! Artist talks! And countless networking opportunities to grow your photography community.

Mark your calendars, and we hope to see both old faces and new SOON!

04/19/2026

🗓️ Mark your calendars 🗓️

21st Annual PhotoNOLA Festival: December 2-6, 2026.

We are looking forward to another four days celebrating photography through community, exhibitions, programs, and portfolio reviews, with both old faces and new in attendance! 🥳

03/13/2026

Hello from Foto Fest! Eli is down in Houston representing The Photo Alliance/ PhotoNOLA ! Say hello if you see him! 🙂
The Foto Fest team plays such a big part in making PhotoNOLA possible, and we are excited to be able to help with their festival now!! We are wishing them another successful fest this year 🥳

01/22/2026

Thank you all for patiently waiting for this update:

We are thrilled to share the winners of the 2nd annual Photobook Prize, selected by William Boling of Falline Press! William was impressed by the variety of strong submissions and powerful narratives, and selecting the winners was not an easy task. Thank you to all who submitted!

Congratulations to all the incredible artists and their publishers! We’re especially inspired by the impressive number of self-published winners this year. It’s a powerful reminder that artists can take full creative control and bring their visions to life on their own terms. Keep making those books!

⭐️ Grand Prize
“The Invisible Yoke, Volume IV: We, the Free” by Matt Eich
published by Sturm & Drang, 2024

⭐️ Award of Excellence
“an unfixed pilgrimage “ by Sarah Wintston and Jared Ragland
Self-published, 2024

⭐️ Louisiana Award of Excellence
“In Rooms III” by Brittany Markart
Self-published, 2025


⭐️ Honorable Mentions:
“Thank you for Ruining My Birthday” by Wendy Ploger
Self-published, 2024

“Trembling Earth” by David Walter Banks
published by Bitter Southerner, 2025

“Stronger than the waves crashing on us” by Frank Hamrick
Self-published, 2024