Musa International Award 2026 for Women Photographers
Musa fotografia, Italian photography festivals (Colorno Photo Life, Biennale di Fotografia Femminile in Mantova)
- ✓ Hand-verified by Arthead editorial, Oct 14, 2026
About this call
The Musa Award, now in its eighth edition and international, is a portfolio prize for women photographers, amateur or professional, run by Musa fotografia in Italy. The 2026 concept is "Reclaiming the Frame": reclaiming the power to decide what deserves to be framed and told. Subjects need not be women, and any photographic genre is welcome. Work may be black and white, colour or mixed media; AI-generated images are accepted if declared. Each photographer may enter up to three projects of 8 to 25 images, judged by a jury of experts from the Italian photography scene. The winner's project is printed and exhibited at Italian photography festivals.
Who can apply
- Limited by country or region
- Medium: Photography
- Entry fee: €25
- Open to women photographers aged 18 or over, amateur or professional, resident in one of the listed European countries (EU members plus Albania, Andorra, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iceland, Kosovo, Liechtenstein, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Norway, San Marino, Serbia, Switzerland, Ukraine, United Kingdom and Vatican City). Fees: EUR 25 for one project, EUR 45 for two, EUR 65 for three. Each project is 8 to 25 images in its own PDF of up to 15 MB, named surname then first name, with no watermarks; text in Italian or English. The PDF opens with a page giving the title, year, project presentation and any video link, then one photograph (or one diptych or triptych) per page, and ends with a biography, website and contacts. Pay by bank transfer or PayPal (reference: participant name and Premio Musa), fill in the form and at the same time email the PDF and payment receipt to info@musafotografia.it; entries not sent together are not accepted, and nothing can be changed after sending. AI-generated images must be declared; finalists will be asked for the original RAW files. Two photographers working as a team may enter together, giving both biographies. Deadline 11:59 pm on 21 November 2026 (no time zone given); winners announced by December 2026, and the winner sends material for publicity within a week. The winner pays for any extra prints, shipping, framing and transport for the festival shows; each festival sets its own terms for board and lodging.