Why this exists
Finding the right open call takes hours. Information is scattered across festival sites, social posts and newsletters, deadlines are written in a dozen formats and time zones, and the fee is often buried several clicks deep. Too many listings are out of date, and some calls are designed mainly to collect entry fees or rights over photographers' work.
We built Photographers First to fix that. One place where every open call is described the same way: who runs it, what it costs, what you can win, when it closes in your own time zone, and where the official rules are. No guessing and no dead links.
How a listing gets here
Listings come from organizers who submit them and from our own research. Each one is reviewed before it is published. We check that the organizer is real, that the deadline and fee match the official rules, and that the prize is described accurately. We read the rights clause and decline calls that take ownership of entrants' work or demand unlimited commercial use without payment. When a deadline passes, the listing is archived automatically.
Organizers can pay to promote a listing. Promotion buys visibility, never approval: a promoted call passes exactly the same review as every other, and it is always labelled.
What is free, and what Pro adds
Anyone can browse the directory, see which calls are free to enter, read the guides previews and get the Friday list newsletter. Pro unlocks every listing in full, advanced filters by fee, prize and country, unlimited saved contests, alerts, the entry tracker with a budget, and all submission guides. It costs less than a single typical contest entry fee per year. Read the details on pricing.
Our principles
- Photographers first. The name is the rule. When the interests of an organizer, a sponsor and a photographer pull apart, we side with the photographer.
- Facts over hype. We show the fee, the prize and the deadline plainly. We do not invent urgency or counts.
- Fair rights. We do not list calls that grab rights to your work.
- Privacy by default. Advertising cookies stay off unless you switch them on. Uploaded photos are stripped of location data.
- Clear labels. Promoted listings and sponsors are always marked.
Showcasing photographers
Directories are useful; pictures are the point. Every week we pick a Picture of the Week, and every month a Photographer of the Month, chosen from work submitted by members. Featured photographers keep all rights and are credited everywhere their work appears.
Who is behind it
Photographers First is a product of Bornbee Technologies, a small independent company based in Trieste, a city on the edge of Italy that has always looked outward. We are funded by members and by clearly labelled sponsorship, not by selling data.
Get in touch
Spotted a mistake in a listing, or a call that should not be here? Tell us at [email protected] and we will look at it within one working day. Organizers can list a contest for free; brands can sponsor the newsletter and directory; creators and teachers can join the creator program.