Call for Photography

 Darmstädter Tage der Fotografie 2023: Tilt/Shift
Proposal for exhibition in the supporting programme and for the Merck-Award

The „Darmstädter Tage der Fotografie“ developed 2004 from an initiative of photographers. The international festival is meanwhile
named as one of most important German photography events. It places relevant themes and cultivates an interdisciplinary discourse in the photography.

A whole weekend numerous activities do throw a light on the main theme from different perspectives: photography exhibitions, symposium and discussions are giving the examination with photography a unique concentration. Beneath already established photographers in the main exhibition, also young artists have the chance to show their works. The mostly young photographers show their selected works within the supporting programme. These are of a high artistic quality. This promotes the meeting of the established with the artistic newcomers. A comprehensive catalogue is published to the festival.

Competition exhibition
Tilt/Shift – Experiment as Normality
Even in our society’s fields of activity we previously believed to be safe, the contemporary crises prevalent worldwide are revealing to us a long-inconceivable collapse. Although no claim can be laid on a normal state of the world, the feeling of security is dwindling for an ever-growing number of people: habitual viewpoints are breaking away, certainties are shifting.
 
The promise that all will remain well, or that things will be all right again, is currently unravelling and is almost impossible to carry into tomorrow from today. Even people who, thus far, imagined themselves to be safe in their habitat are noticing that their everyday life is under ever-more frequent threat. Thought patterns are being queried and discussed – constructively by groups and individuals, but also in a polarising way by fact-twisters. Old discourses on euro-centrically and post-colonially influenced views of the world – in macro and in micro – are being sustained and propagated.
 
Times of crisis not only signify uncertainty, but are also able – despite it all – to highlight opportunities. Partly out of necessity, potentials are examined at all levels for open spaces, new phenomena and further developments. Will the experiment of constantly having to refocus become the normal state now? How can photography capture the enormous changes? What images allow us to better understand an uncertain, diverse world subject to turbulent and complex transformation – and to keep an eye on the experiment’s open outcome?

Merck-Award of the Darmstädter Tage der Fotografie
The „Merck-Award of the Darmstädter Tage der Fotografie“ is awarded for the 9th time. The jury nominates 10 works from the
participants at the beginning of the year. Among this ten nominees is the with 10.000 EUR endowed „Merck Award of Darmstädter Tage der Fotografie“ awarded to the best presented and closest to the topic work.

To become the Merck-Award winner, it demands a consequently arranged and high-quality work, as well as a perfect presentation on site. The announcement of the winner takes place at the opening evening with an award-show during the vernissage. The nominated artworks are honored with an exhibition in the »Designhaus, Mathildenhöhe« and a contribution in the exhibition cataloque and with special press releases in advance.

Participation
Every photographer and artist working with the medium photography, also design-students with the emphasis on photography of an university, university of applied sciences, college or school of arts as well as photo-assistants are accepted to participate. All categories of
photography are admitted and can be hand in as single artwork or in themselves closed artworks/series. An independent, contemporary
position should be recognisable.

Right of user
Every submitted work can be used for the festival and it’s evaluation in the media. The „Darmstädter Tage der Fotografie“ have also the right to exhibit the works chosen by the jury. As well as to publish them in newspapers, magazines and other publications and medias – but only in the context of the festival and it’s evaluation in the media. The participants have no right of charge for this usage.

Acknowledgment of the decision
The decisions of the jury are not controvertible. There is no legal recourse. With the application the participant accepts the declared
conditions in this announcement. The for the programme of the „Darmstädter Tage der Fotografie“ chosen participants are accepting mandatory to participate in the exhibition. It is also necessary for the catalogue to deliver printable files of the work.

Organisation
»Darmstädter Tage der Fotografie« Festival
The festival is organized by a non-profit organisation (registered association): Kulturprojekte.xyz gUG (haftungsbeschränkt). The organisers operate as middlemen between exhibition place and artist and are responsible for public relations, as well as the realisation of the exhibition catalogue and organisation of the festival programme.

Entry deadline
Application entry deadline for the supporting programme and the Merck-Award is 15. November 2022 (date of receipt).
There is a posibility for an extension till 29. November 2022 (date of receipt), to hand in works after the official deadline.
This extension costs 10 EUR extra handling fee.

Shipping Adress  
Darmstädter Tage der Fotografie
Kasinostr. 3, 64293 Darmstadt / Germany
Email: info@dtdf.de / www.dtdf.de / Telefon: +49.6151.27 16 08
The transmittal has to be declared tax-free. The organisers do not cover tax expenses for the submitted works.

Submission of the artwork/series
The work has to be submitted in a closed packaging, together with the completed proposal form.
The proposal form (online form) could be find here  – or see page 5 of this PDF: http://www.dtdf.de/bewerbung

The artwork/series for application has to be prints. A presentation in approximately DIN A4 format is adequate, maximum is 30 x 40 cm. It is possible to send approximately 10 artworks, each labeled on the backside with name and address of the author. A statement about the artwork/series has to be enclosed, which should include the number of the artworks sent, their size and the estimated form of the presentation as well as a short synopsis about the work (half DIN A4 page or 1.000 characters maximum). A short CV including education, exhibitions, scholarships and publications is apppreciated.

Important:
Please fill in online the application form with the relevant details, send it online and as well print it and send the signed application form with your photos. This will facilitate the bureaucratic effort for you and us. Thank you so much!

Participation Fee
Applicants living in Germany or EU (SEPA):
Application entry deadline is 15. November 2022 (date of receipt).
Claimed documents have to be enclosed to the artwork. The organisers charge a participation fee of  25 EUR, which should be enclosed as bank transfer confirmation. For the extension till 29. November 2022 (date of receipt) 10 EUR extra fee have to be payed, overall sum is 35 EUR. We’ll send you a receipt in the return consignment. Each participant has to send the artworks in a re-useable packaging. Incomplete applications won’t be presented to the jury. The organisers are not responsible for damages of the sent works nor their loss.

Applicants from other countries, NON-EU:
Application entry deadline is 15. November 2022 (date of receipt).
Claimed documents have to be enclosed to the artwork. The organisers charge a participation fee of  30 EUR, which should be enclosed as bank transfer confirmation. For the extension till 29. November 2022 (date of receipt) 10 EUR extra fee have to be payed, overall sum is 40 EUR. We’ll send you a receipt in the return consignment. Each participant has to send the artworks in a re-useable packaging. The transmittal has to be declared tax-free. The organisers will not cover any tax expenses. Incomplete applications won’t be presented to the jury. The organisers are not responsible for damages of the sent works nor their loss.

Return of the works
The packaging has to be in a way, that is  re-usable for the return consignment. The works will be send back via Deutsche Post (DHL). If you wish another way of return, you’ll have to note this in the application form, please. Irrespective of  which way of return, it is on the participants own risk and takes place shortly after the jury’s meeting, latest by the end of January 2023. Please note on the application form, if you don’t wish to have send the application prints back.

Liability
The organisers are not responsible for damages of the submitted works nor their loss, from entry to return of them. Of course, a careful and appropriate handling of the submitted material is  assured by the organisers.

Right of publicity
Each participant declares with his signature on the proposal, that he alone is the holder of the copyrights of the submitted work, that he has the right of use and that no third party has any rights on it. The participant has also to declare that pictured persons or owners of the rights of pictured artworks of visual, fine or applied arts, as well as authors of pictures, from which the submitted work is build through picture editing and manipulation, have given their acceptance in a verifiable way for publication and utilisation of the images – including publishing utilisation and advertisement in context of the event „Darmstädter Tage der Fotografie“. Every patent and copyright remain with the participant. To observe this legal rights is the duty of the participant.

Proviso
Only works which meet the competition requirements will take part in the selection procedure and at the evaluation. In the event of
breaches of the conditions of participation, Darmstädter Tage der Fotografie e.V. may exclude works from the competition, if applicable from participation in the supporting programme as well.

Darmstädter Tage der Fotografie reserve the right to make content-related changes at any time.

Status August 2022