Contest

Categories

Participants can enter their pictures within three categories

Pride in Action: Photos of pride parades, demonstrations, and other events.
Pride Portraits: Individual and group portraits celebrating pride and identity.
Everyday Pride: Everyday moments that capture the life, love, and experiences of LGBTQIA+ individuals.

In this way, we want to maintain a diversity of lifestyles and perspectives that place a special focus on queer communities outside urban centres.

Judging and Prizes

An independent, diverse jury will evaluate the entries based on creativity, originality, and technical execution. Winners will be announced by 30.09.2025 and notified via email.

The following prizes will be awarded:
Pride in Action - 1st Place: a €500 voucher to spend on used photo and video gear from MPB
Pride Portraits - 1st Place: a €1,000 voucher to spend on used photo and video gear from MPB
Everyday Pride - 1st Place: a €1,000 voucher to spend on used photo and video gear from MPB

MPB is the exclusive sponsor of this year's GAZE Photo Award and is donating the prize vouchers for the winners in each category. Since 2011, Europe's leading supplier of used cameras has been revolutionising access to photographic equipment and promoting diversity and sustainability within the photo and video community.

Each voucher is valid once for the purchase of used photo/video cameras, lenses, or accessories from mpb.com. The shipping is not included. For full terms, please visit mpb.com/info/terms.

Terms and Conditions

1. Organizer
VielFormat & Friends are organizing “GAZE – The Queer Photo Award” (hereinafter referred to as “the competition”).

2. Eligibility
All natural persons residing in Germany who are at least 18 years old at the time of participation and identify as part of the LGBTQIA+ community are eligible to participate.

3. Submission Period
The competition begins on 01.06.2025 at 00:00 and ends on 31.08.2025 at 23:59. Submissions received after the deadline will not be considered.

4. Theme and Requirements

This year’s theme is: "We exist – and we are here to stay!"

There are three categories:
Pride in Action: Photos of Pride parades, demonstrations, and other events.
Pride Portraits: Individual and group portraits celebrating Pride and identity.
Everyday Pride: Everyday moments capturing the lives, love, and experiences of LGBTQIA+ people. (A story is at least 3 photographs that share a theme or concept and title. Your work will be judged as a whole, not as individual photographic entries.

Participants may submit images in each category:
Pride in Action: max. 3 images
Pride Portraits: max. 3 images
Everyday Pride: one story with max. 3-5 images

There is no entry fee.

Submitted images must:
• be in JPEG format, sRGB
• have a minimum resolution of over 3000 pixels on the longest side
• be free of watermarks, logos, borders, or signatures
• be original photographs taken by the participant and not generated by AI

5. Submission
Photos must be submitted digitally via www.picter.com by 31.08.2025 at 23:59 at the latest. The following information must be included with the submission:

Profile:
• Full name
• Date of birth
• Gender
• Nationality
• Address in Germany
• Phone number
• Biography (max. 1,500 characters)

Project:
• Project title
• Year of creation
• Place of creation
• Project description

Single Image:
• Image title
• Year of creation
• Place of creation
• Image description

Series:
• Image title
• Year of creation
• Place of creation
• Image description

Minimum required image size
3000px on the long side

6. Rights and Usage
By participating in the Gaze photo competition, each participant confirms that:
• they are the sole author of the submitted photographs
• no third-party rights are violated – particularly the personal rights of any depicted individuals
• if people are shown, their explicit consent for public presentation has been obtained

Participants retain full copyright to their images. At the same time, they grant the organizer and partner organizations a simple, non-exclusive, unlimited license to use the submitted images for non-commercial purposes. This includes, in particular:

• publication on the competition’s website and social media channels
• presentation within the context of exhibitions
• printing in exhibition catalogs, press, and informational materials
• public screenings (e.g., during award ceremonies or online events)

Photographers will always be credited by name. There will be no commercial use. Any further use will require prior contact.

Note on image metadata: Please include your name or copyright information in the metadata of your images. Ensure that no confidential information is included—especially if your submission is selected or awarded.

If your submission is selected (e.g., for the shortlist or as a winner), the organizer may request a high-resolution version of your photos.

By participating, you also agree that the organizer and partner organizations may use accompanying content such as your quotes or visual material related to your participation (e.g., portrait photos or videos from the award ceremony) as part of communication about the competition.

7. Data Protection
Personal data collected during the competition will be used exclusively for the purpose of conducting the competition. It will not be shared with third parties. More information at Link to privacy policy.

8. Disclaimer
The organizer is not liable for the loss or damage of submitted files or for technical issues during transmission.

9. Miscellaneous
Legal recourse is excluded. The organizers reserve the right to modify, suspend, or cancel the competition for important reasons.

Status: May 26, 2025

Jury

TBA

FAQs

Who can submit images to the GAZE - The Queer Photo Award 2025?
All individuals residing in Germany who are at least 18 years old at the time of entry and identify as part of the LGBTQIA+ community are eligible to participate.

How do I submit photographs for the award?
Digital files must be uploaded via the submission page www.picter.com

Do I have to sign up for Picter to enter?
Yes. A simple sign-up process is required to register on Picter. Once registered, you will have full access to submit to the GAZE - The Queer Photo Award 2025.

What size should the digital files be?
The recommended minimum size is 3000 pixels on the longest side. If selected, you may be asked to provide high-resolution versions of your images.

Are digitally manipulated or AI-generated images accepted?
No. All submissions must be original photographs taken by the participant and may not be generated by AI.

Is there an entry fee?
No, submission is completely free.

What categories are available, and can I enter more than one image?
There are two single image categories and one story category. You may enter in all three.
The categories are:

• Pride in Action: Images of Pride parades, demonstrations, and other events (single image).
• Pride Portraits: Individual or group portraits celebrating Pride and identity (single image).
• Everyday Pride: Candid, everyday moments from the lives of LGBTQIA+ people (story of 3-5 images).
  
  What counts as a story?
  A story consists of 3 to 5 images that share a common theme or concept and title. The jury will evaluate the story as a whole, not as individual images.
  
  Is there a limit to how many images I can submit?
  Yes. You may submit:
• Up to 3 images for Pride in Action
• Up to 3 images for Pride Portraits
• One story (3-5 images) for Everyday Pride
  
  Can I submit a photo from a story as a single image entry as well?
  Yes, photos from your story may also be entered as individual submissions.
  
  Is there a time limit for when the photographs were taken?
  Yes. All photos must have been taken within the last three years from the start of the open call. For long-term projects, at least two-thirds of the work must fall within this timeframe.
  
  Can I submit a photograph that has previously won an award or been entered in another competition?
  No, due to copyright restrictions.
  
  Can previously published images be submitted?
  No, previously published work is not eligible for submission due to copyright reasons.
  
  Do I need to include a caption for my images?
  Yes. Each submission (single image or story) must include a caption in English, with a maximum of 2000 characters. Individual captions for photos within a story are not required and may not be reviewed by the jury. Keep your text short and focused.
  
  How will the photographs be judged?
  Images will be evaluated by the jury based on artistic merit, originality, subject, and style, all in relation to the overarching theme of peace.
  
  What is the copyright policy?
  Please refer to the official terms and conditions on our website for detailed copyright and usage rights information.
  
  What is the final deadline for submissions?
  Entries will be accepted until 30 August 2025, 11:59 PM CET.
  
  How will I know if I've won an award?
  Winners will be notified by phone or email in September 2025.
  
  What are the prizes?
  The following prizes will be awarded:
  Pride in Action - 1st Place:
  €500 voucher to spend on used photo and video gear from MPB
  Pride Portraits - 1st Place:
  €1,000 voucher to spend on used photo and video gear from MPB
  Everyday Pride - 1st Place:
  €1,000 voucher to spend on used photo and video gear from MPB
  Each voucher is valid once for the purchase of used photo/video cameras, lenses, or accessories from mpb.com. The shipping is not included. For full terms, please visit mpb.com/info/terms.
  All winners (1st, 2nd, 3rd place) in each category will be included in an exhibition in Berlin, which will start end of october (tbc).
  
  Can images taken on a smartphone be submitted?
  Yes, images can be taken with any device capable of producing a digital image that meets the required size and quality.
  
  Can a group or team of photographers enter, or only individuals?
  Both individuals and collaborative teams are welcome to submit entries.