---
title: SELF — self portraits that go beyond likeness
description: International juried photography call for self portraits; $1,000 in cash awards; $25 entry fee; Brooklyn, NY online gallery.
url: https://www.artsume.com/programs/9535ffde-2147-437c-9a7c-8c073ddb744f
type: program
status: open
createdAt: "2026-10-16"
updatedAt: "2026-10-16"
programType: Exhibition
organization: Decagon Gallery
organizationUrl: https://www.artsume.com/o/decagon-gallery
deadline: "2026-11-17"
entryFee: 25 USD
location: Decagon Gallery, Brooklyn, NY, United States
isOnline: true
compensationRange: "$1,000 total cash awards: $500 first place, $250 second place, $150 third place, two $50 honorable mentions"
disciplines:
  - photography
---

# SELF — self portraits that go beyond likeness

**Hosted by:** Decagon Gallery

**Type:** Exhibition | **Location:** Decagon Gallery, Brooklyn, NY, United States | **Deadline:** November 17, 2026 | **Entry fee:** $25

## About This Program

> "Self portraits that go beyond likeness"

### SELF

*Self portraits that go beyond likeness*

**Juror: Douglas Beasley**

*SELF* is a call for self portraits that go beyond likeness — images made in the act of looking at oneself honestly, uncomfortably, tenderly, or strangely. We're not looking for vanity or performance. We're looking for the photographs that came out of a real reckoning: with a body, a memory, a loss, a transformation, a question you couldn't answer any other way.

The self portrait is one of photography's oldest and most exposed forms. The camera becomes both mirror and confessional — there is no subject to direct, no one else to blame for what appears. What's left is just you, deciding what to reveal and what to withhold.

We welcome work that engages with identity, aging, illness, grief, joy, gender, memory, solitude, family, transformation, and the body — staged or unstaged, constructed or straightforward, single images or series. What matters most is that the work carries real emotional stakes, and that the artist was willing to be seen.

### What We're Looking For

- Photographic self portraits in any style — documentary, constructed, conceptual, or experimental
- Work with a clear, felt point of view — not simply "photos of the artist," but images that use the self as a way of asking something larger
- Series or single images accepted
- Work that risks vulnerability over polish

### Juror: Douglas Beasley

Douglas Beasley's personal vision explores the spiritual and emotional aspects of people and place and is concerned with how the sacred is recognized and expressed in everyday life.

### Awards

- First Place: $500
- Second Place: $250
- Third Place: $150
- Two Honorable Mentions: $50
- Human Presence award: Free entry to a future exhibition

All selected photographers receive inclusion in the curated exhibition on a dedicated exhibition page, Instagram feature, and inclusion in the printed catalog. The exhibition will be promoted through Press Releases in appropriate channels.

### How to Submit

$25 entry fee for 4 photographs. $5 each additional photograph. Open to photographers worldwide. All photographic processes and styles welcome.

Submit jpg files at least 2100 pixels on the long side without any text, watermarks, borders, or frames. We want the work to be seen as it is, without any added elements that might distract from the image itself.

### What Selected Photographers Receive

- Inclusion in the curated online exhibition
- Permanent exhibition page on Decagon Gallery
- Feature on Decagon's Instagram
- Inclusion in the exhibition catalog

Photographers retain all rights, including copyright, to their photographs.

### About the Gallery

Decagon Gallery is an online photography gallery dedicated to thoughtful, contemporary photographic work by artists worldwide. The gallery emphasizes strong curatorial vision, professional presentation, and meaningful engagement with photographers at all stages of their careers.

## Eligibility & Requirements

- **Geographic Eligibility:** International
- **Disciplines:** photography
- **Age Requirements:** 18+ years old
- **Note:** Open to photographers worldwide, 18 years and older.

### Additional Requirements

- Submit up to 10 images (minimum 4) that capture the "SELF" theme
- JPEG or JPG format
- At least 2100 pixels on the longest side
- No text, watermarks, borders, or frames
- Entry fee: $25 for 4 images, $5 for each additional image

## Compensation & Benefits

$1,000 total cash awards: $500 first place, $250 second place, $150 third place, two $50 honorable mentions

**Includes:** Prize

First Place: $500. Second Place: $250. Third Place: $150. Two Honorable Mentions: $50 each. Human Presence award: free entry to a future exhibition. All selected photographers also receive inclusion in the curated exhibition, an Instagram feature, and inclusion in the printed catalog.

## Timeline

- **Opens:** September 15, 2026
- **Deadline:** November 17, 2026
- **Program Start:** November 6, 2026
- **Program End:** February 6, 2027

## Contact

**Email:** info@decagongallery.com

**Phone:** 657-330-1094

## How to Apply

Apply at: https://artist.callforentry.org/agreetoterms.php?ID=18214