Open call for entries for FILL CONTACT
and the 2026 FULL CONTACT Award
2025 Full Contact edition.
OPEN CALL FOR ENTRIES FOR FULL CONTACT AND THE 2026 FULL CONTACT AWARD
An event for emerging artists who view photography as an essential and preferred means of expression.
SCAN Tarragona, the international photography festival organised by the Tarragona City Council, is once again presenting Full Contact, an event that aims to support emerging artists who consider photography to be an essential and preferred means of expression and to offer them a professional meeting point where they can connect with stakeholders from the art world.
What is Full Contact?
It is a professional gathering and, at the same time, a portfolio review event defined as a relational and cross-disciplinary platform. It is a meeting space where a group of selected photographers will have the opportunity to present their work to a network of experts—curators, gallerists, editors (the followers)—with the aim of receiving critical feedback on their work, building new professional alliances, and exploring collaborative opportunities in the field of visual arts
What makes Full Contact unique?
- Being selected for Full Contact is, in itself, a recognition of the quality of your project. In order to foster emerging talent and contemporary creation, participation is entirely free for those selected.
- The selected photographers will be provided with a table to present their work to more than twenty agents from the artistic ecosystem (curators, gallerists, editors, etc.). Additionally, SCAN guarantees a fully immersive experience and networking opportunities, offering the following as part of the festival:
- Accommodation on the night of the opening at the festival’s official hotel
- Formal invitation to the opening events of SCAN and Full Contact
- Complimentary meals: welcome dinner (Friday, October 16) and Full Contact professional lunch (Saturday, October 17).
- If your project is selected, you will be eligible for the 2026 Full Contact Award.
FULL CONTACT Award.
- From all artists selected to participate in Full Contact, a qualified jury appointed by SCAN will select one artist as the winner of the 2026 Full Contact Award.
- The prize consists of a solo exhibition in 2027 as part of the official SCAN programme.
- The selected artist will receive €900 (including tax) for the exhibition and communication rights to their work.
- The artist will also receive advice and support from SCAN in accordance with the technical and financial means available to the festival to hold the exhibition
- In order for Tarragona City Council to make the payment, each artist must present the documentation required by the SCAN organisation.
- All invoicing procedures will be carried out in accordance with the legislation applicable to Spanish administrations.
Deadline for submission of projects
May 10, 2026 at 11:59 pm
Full Contact dates
October 17, 2026, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Teatret del Port in the El Serrallo district of Tarragona, Spain.
Who can apply to take part in Full Contact?
Persons of legal age who are residents of any country of the European Union or the United Kingdom.
What kinds of projects can be submitted?
The festival’s aim is to promote visual storytelling among emerging artists. With this in mind, any photo series that tells a story may be submitted.
The series can be on any subject.
How many winning projects will there be?
The jury will select the 12 best projects. The creators of these projects will be invited to participate in the 9th Full Contact.
Link to 2025 participating artists
Who is on the jury that selects the projects?
The jury will consist of Ada Sbriccoli (independent curator, art researcher and critic) and Arola Valls Bofill (independent curator, researcher, and lecturer). Their decision will be final.
Artistic evaluation criteria
The Full Contact curatorial team will prioritize projects that demonstrate strong conceptual consistency and in-depth research. Particular value will be given to the distinctiveness of the author’s voice, as well as to aesthetic coherence and the author’s ability to construct a narrative sequence.
About the ‘followers’ (stakeholders from the art world who will take part as ‘followers’)
Hi participaran una vintena d’agents del món de l’art, entre comissaris independents, equips directius d’altres festivals de fotografia, editorials o galeristes. Els noms s’anunciaran durant el mes de juliol al web del festival.
How do you submit a project?
Projects should be submitted with the registration form
The registration form must contain the following information:
- Personal contact details
- A brief biography
- The title of the project
- A brief explanation of the project (300 words)
- A .zip file (max. 30 MB) with a maximum of 16 photographs from the same series. The digital photographs must be a minimum of 2,000 pixels on the shortest side and be in JPG format. If they wish, artists may include a PDF with complementary information to facilitate the jury’s understanding of the project.
Projects in Catalan, Spanish and English will be accepted.
Copyright and communication rights
By submitting to the open call for entries, participants declare that they hold the intellectual property rights to the works presented and guarantee that these do not infringe upon the rights of third parties.
The rights of the exhibited works belong to their creators, who will temporarily cede the rights of public communication to SCAN for the purpose of promoting the event through any official festival channel or via the press.
Obligations of participants
Artists who agree to participate in Full Contact make a de facto commitment to attend the event in person on the announced day: October 17, 2026.
Final considerations
SCAN will resolve all matters not provided for in these rules. Its decisions are final. All applicants are obliged to accept these rules in order to participate in Full Contact.