CALL FOR ENTRIES:
Visual Narratives: PCNW’s 27th Juried Photography Exhibition
Extended deadline: September 14, 2025
Juror: Mary Virginia Swanson
Open theme!
Professional, mid-career, and emerging lens-based artists from all communities are encouraged to submit work on any theme. Those that are selected will have their work exhibited in the PCNW gallery from November 3 – December 14, 2025.
While the theme for PCNW’s call for photographs is open, we encourage artists to submit images that are part of a cohesive body of work. A series of images can tell a story, explore a concept, and evoke certain emotion beyond what a singular image can, ultimately providing deeper insights into the artist’s vision and style. Consider how your images converse; intentionality in the order you choose can really shape how the series is experienced.
The juror will be looking for sequences of images that come together to convey a strong, artistic narrative.
Awards
1st place = $1,000
2nd place = $500
3rd place = $250
Thank You to our Prize Sponsor
Juror bio:
Mary Virginia Swanson is a celebrated author, educator and mentor who has spent her career helping artists find the strengths in their work, identify appropriate audiences, and present their projects in a professionally informed manner. Her broad background in imaging industries offer photographers a broad range of perspectives on both the making and marketing of art.
For the past 20 years Swanson has been writing about and teaching workshops the process of bringing a body of work to publication, whether your book be hand-made, self-published or brought to print through a traditional press. First released in 2011, Swanson coauthored with Darius Himes “Publish Your Photography Book”, now in its third edition released by Radius Books (2023) which combines essays by the two authors alongside conversations with over 60 publishing industry contributors. Building on the strong foundation of earlier editions, this 10-year update expands on the prominence of self-publishing, limited editions, and artist-made books, and informs readers on the path to placing books in private, public, academic and curatorial libraries.
Swanson holds an MFA in photography from Arizona State University. Selected awards she has received include the Lifetime Achievement Award, Griffin Museum of Photography (2013); Susan Carr Award for Education, ASMP (2014), and the Society for Photographic Education Honored Educator (2015). Swanson is based in Tucson, Arizona.
Submission Details:
Exended deadline:
Sunday, September 14, 2025 by 10:59pm (Pacific Time)
Fee:
$50 for 5 image files (minimum); you may add additional files for $5 each, up to 10 total (maximum)
Please note that if you are experiencing financial hardship, please contact Erin at espencer@pcnw.org to receive a 50% discount code.
Your entry fee helps to support our non-profit educational institution dedicated to photography. Money raised through this call will go towards supporting PCNW’s scholarship fund, 20-25 annual free public programs, and continued free public gallery access to all. BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and emerging artists are encouraged to submit to this opportunity; all levels of experience and backgrounds are welcome and considered.
In our ongoing commitment to supporting artists, PCNW will give 90% to artists for all works sold during this juried exhibition, a 40% increase from our normal 50/50 gallery commission policy. PCNW regularly highlights exhibitions and artists through newsletters, press releases, social media, and web.
Exhibition Dates
Visual Narratives exhibition dates: November 3 – December 14, 2025
Notification
A list of accepted artists will be posted on this page the week of September 22nd, 2025. Selected artists will be notified by email. Framed work will need to arrive to PCNW in Seattle, WA by October 22nd, 2025. Artists will be responsible for shipping their framed work to and from the gallery.
Commission
Work selected by the judge for the juried show will be exhibited at PCNW. All sales of work in the juried show will be conducted by PCNW and PCNW will retain a 10% commission on all work sold. The artist can determine if they wish to sell their work.
Your Rights
You will retain all rights to any photograph you submit, including ownership if applicable. If your image is selected for the juried competition exhibition, you grant PCNW a nonexclusive right, in perpetuity, to: Use, in connection with the current Juried Photography Exhibition, your name, city, state and country of residence in PCNW promotions and publications. Use, in connection with the current Juried Photography Exhibition, your image on partner and third party promotions and publications. Keep the files provided, and to archive the images in electronic forms, so that your photos can be used in connection with the current Juried Photography Exhibition. As conditions of this permission, PCNW shall credit all photographs with the caption “C Person’s Name.”
Selected Artists
Julia Arstorp
Terry Barczak
Kathy Fridstein
Marcia Glover
Victoria Hunter
Ilia Iaikov
Alexander Johns
Barbara Kalina
John Kane
Judith Leckrone Lee
QT Luong
Ellen Mahaffy
Jade Nguyen
Charlotte Niel
Jason Parent
Michael Rainey
Jonah Reenders
Esther Rivera
Kathryn Rodrigues
jakob rushlo
Philip Sager
Brandon Sawaya
Susan Seubert
Paige Smith
Skip Smith
Michael Sobel
Daniela Spector
Talon
Libby Wadsworth
Grace Yan
Past Jurors
1995 – Duane Michals, Artist
1996 – Joyce Tenneson, Artist
1997 – Jock Sturges, Artist and Trevor Fairbrother, Curator, Seattle Art Museum
1998 – Keith Carter, Artist
1999 – Linda Connor, Artist, Educator
2001 – Chien-Chi Chang, Photographer, Magnum Photos
2002 – Michael Kenna, Artist
2003 – Anne Wilkes Tucker, Curator, Museum of Fine Art Houston
2004 – Roy Flukinger, Curator, Harry Ransom Center
2005 – Mary Virginia Swanson, Consultant, Educator, MVS
2006 – Paul Kopeikin, Paul Kopeikin Gallery
2007 – Charlotte Cotton, Curator, Los Angeles County Museum of Art
2008 – Rod Slemmons, Director, Museum of Contemporary Photography
2009 – Jen Bekman, Jen Bekman Gallery, 20×200
2010 – Denise Wolff, Editor, Aperture
2011 – Karen Irvine, Curator, Museum of Contemporary Photography
2012 – W.M. Hunt, Collector and Curator
2013 – John A. Bennette, Collector and Curator
2014 – Whitney C. Johnson, Director of Photography, The New Yorker
2015 – Julia Dolan, Minor White Curator of Photography, Portland Art Museum
2017 – Sandra Phillips, Curator Emeritus, SF MOMA (San Francisco Museum of Modern Art)
2018 – Conor Risch, PDN Senior Editor + Lara Behnert, Starbucks Senior Manager, Creative
2020 – Kris Graves, photographer and publisher, Kris Graves Projects
2021 – Shamim M. Momin, Director of Curatorial Affairs at The Henry Art Gallery
2022 – Jennifer L. Stoots, certified photography appraiser and photo historian; and Liza Faktor, curator and creative producer
2024 – Gail Gibson, art dealer and owner of G. Gibson Projects
1st Place Winners
1995 – James Soe Nyun
1996 – Phil Borges
1997 – Trina Kyounghui Yi-Weston
1998 – Lisa Hohlfeld
1999 – Frank Noelker
2001 – Sarah Oehl
2002 – Nanette Vinson
2003 – (tie) Cat Gwynn and Patricia Sandler
2004 – Dennis Chamberlin
2005 – Peter de Lory
2006 – Joelle Jensen
2007 – Sung Jin Park
2008 – Sally Ketcham
2009 – James Luckett
2010 – Adam Satushek
2011 – Laura Plageman
2012 – Lauren Marsolier
2013 – Tuan Cao
2014 – Alejandra Carles-Tolra
2015 – Meike J. Paniza, Sparks
2017 – Hiroyo Kaneko
2018 – Mark Daughhetee and Kiliii Yuyan
2020 – Jon Henry
2021 – Lamar Graham
2022 – Mike Vos
2024 – Kerry Mansfield