Fellowship Guidelines and FAQ
Guidelines
Fellowship is Silver Eye’s program for recognizing exceptionally talented artists working with photography, particularly those who have not yet received significant recognition or support. We invite artists to submit recent and current work that explores new directions in contemporary photography. Each year, trusted jurors bring fresh perspectives as valued peers within the larger photography community. The resulting Fellowship exhibition offers selected artists an opportunity to further develop their creative vision through curatorial guidance, exhibition, and production support.
Selection Criteria Award recipients for the International Fellowship Award and Keystone Award will be selected by the Fellowship jurors on the basis of exceptional creativity and distinctive talent as evidenced by the strength of their submitted portfolios. The jurors are especially interested in seeing portfolios with a strong conceptual vision and highly individual, original perspectives.
Eligibility Photographers who have been a featured artist in a solo or group exhibition (of up to eight artists) at Silver Eye within the last five years (January 1, 2022–December 31, 2026) are not eligible to apply to Fellowship. Additionally, if an artist was previously featured in an exhibition at Silver Eye before 2022, their submitted work must represent a significant creative departure from work previously submitted to or shown by Silver Eye.
Silver Eye staff and their relatives, board members, current interns and scholars, and Silver Eye contractors are not eligible to apply. If the criteria above does not apply, all U.S. and international amateur and professional photographers, age 18 and older at the time of submission, may apply.
Only residents of Pennsylvania or photographs made in Pennsylvania are eligible for the Keystone Award and the Keystone Honorable Mentions.
Notification
Awardees and Honorable Mentions will be notified by phone by January 2027. Non-selected photographers will be notified by email by January 2027. Decisions of the jurors are final and binding. Please note: due to the volume of submissions, jurors are unable to provide personalized feedback.
Fellowship Entry Fees
$40 for the submission of up to 20 images.
Exhibition Guidelines
The International Fellowship Awardee and Keystone Prize Awardee as well as four Honorable Mentions will have their work exhibited at Silver Eye in May 2027. Awardees and honorable mentions will receive curatorial support to ensure that the exhibition provides new opportunities for creative growth.
The final checklist for the exhibition (including number and size of prints) will be determined in creative collaboration with Silver Eye’s Executive Director and Deputy Director. In some instances, we may decide to omit work originally submitted and substitute other images from the same portfolio or series for the exhibition.
Selected Works
All exhibition prints must be professionally printed, matted (if applicable), framed or mounted. The Lab @ Silver Eye can offer limited printing, framing, and other production support to the Awardees and Honorable Mentions for the exhibition prints.
Insurance
Silver Eye provides wall-to-wall insurance once the work is on-site. Specific insurance coverage, timetables for delivery/installation/de-installation, and mutual responsibilities will be outlined in a letter of agreement signed by both the artist and Silver Eye Center for Photography.
Shipping
Shipping of exhibited prints will be agreed in direct consultation with Silver Eye. In most cases, Silver Eye will support the return shipping of all artworks using Fed-Ex ground.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I enter?
Go to our online entry form to submit your application.
See a sample checklist
What is the deadline for entries?
Deadline for entries is Nov 19, 2026, noon EST
Can I submit physical prints?
No, we only accept submissions online. For the best image quality and fast upload, image files must be no larger than 1,500 pixels wide.
Can I change my entry after I have submitted?
No, you can arrange, delete, change, and rearrange your photos or other documents BEFORE you push the SUBMIT button. But once you push the SUBMIT button, the submission cannot be altered.
I am not a professional photographer, do I have a chance to receive an award?
Of course! We welcome work from artists at every career level, whether you’re a talented beginner or a seasoned professional. However, please bear in mind the judging criteria as you plan your submission and that the competition is keen for these prestigious awards. Last year we received over 200 entries from across the world. To qualify to enter the competition, you must also be over 18 years of age at the time of your submission.
Will You Waive Fees for Financial Need?
Fees go toward covering our administrative costs for running the competition and presenting the related exhibitions. We offer a very limited number of need-based full and half waivers. If you can only apply on condition of a waiver, please email Leo Hsu, Executive Director, at leo@silvereye.org.
Can I Have a Refund on My Entry Fee?
No. Entry fees are non-refundable.
When are the awardees announced?
Awardees will be announced in January 2027.
Will you print and frame my photographs if I am selected as an Awardee?
Yes, The Lab @ Silver Eye can offer limited printing, framing, and other production support to the Awardees and Honorable Mentions for the exhibition prints.
Will the exhibited work be for sale in the galley?
Yes, if the artist so requests. Silver Eye retains 40% commission on work sold in relation to the exhibition.
If I have more questions who do I contact?
If you cannot find answers to your other questions here or at the upload site, you can email Leo Hsu, Executive Director, at leo@silvereye.org
Terms & Conditions
By submitting your photographs to Fellowship 27 you represent, acknowledge, covenant, and warrant that the submitted photographs are an original work created solely by you, that the content does not infringe on the copyrights, trademarks, moral rights, rights of privacy/publicity or intellectual property rights of any person or entity, and that no other party has any right, title, claim or interest in the photograph.
You release Silver Eye Center for Photography and its agents, principals, board members, employees or contractors from any liability regarding the display of work that you have submitted to them, including any liability for redisplay by individuals making copies of the display made by Silver Eye Center for Photography.
Silver Eye Center for Photography is not responsible for any problems with or technical malfunction of any computer, online system, servers or providers, software, failure of any e-mail entry to be received on account of technical problems or traffic congestion on the Internet or any combination thereof on account of technical problems or traffic congestion on the Internet or any combination thereof including any injury or damage to entrants’ or any other persons’ computers related to or resulting from participation, uploading or downloading of any materials related to this competition.
This competition is void where prohibited. It is subject to federal, state, and local laws and regulations. Certain restrictions may apply. If Silver Eye Center for Photography determines the submission to not be an original, or if a submission is illegible, incomplete, damaged, irregular, altered, counterfeit, produced in error or obtained through fraud or theft, the submission will be voided without return fees. Silver Eye reserves the right to refuse a submission.
If you are an Awardee or Honorable Mention, you hereby grant Silver Eye Center for Photography the right to use your name, likeness, and images in any publicity or advertising relating to the program or future promotions without compensation or approval. You retain copyright of images, and proper credit lines will be attributed to each entrant when used in any publicity of Silver Eye Center for Photography.