Last year, PhotoVogue launched a global project that engaged the entire network of Condé Nast worldwide—in search for fashion’s next image-makers. Going global meant more opportunities for artists to have their work published or commissioned by our brands across all 32 markets and commercial partners, and also gave way to more worldwide events, talks, exhibitions, and portfolio reviews—furthering conversations around the promotion of creativity and diversity in image-making. Today, we are thrilled to announce our plans for our second Global Open Call, titled ‘What Is Beauty?’. As the title suggests, we are embarking on the search for artists who can go against the grain and boldly challenge traditional notions of beauty.
“There’s power in the visual stories we tell. For this Open Call, we’re thrilled to invite visionary photographers, artists and creatives from Singapore and Southeast Asia that push boundaries and captivate the imagination. We want to know how you’re using your platform as a positive force for change and what moves your heart where important issues of social justice, sustainability are concerned,” shares Vogue Singapore’s beauty director and judge of PhotoVogue, Alli Sim. “If you’re an image-maker with vibrant, impactful images and films to share, this is your sign to join us.”
PhotoVogue’s mission is always to champion talent, reach into historically excluded communities, and improve visual literacy; it also aims to shape a more just, ethical, and inclusive visual world. To make our scouting objectives more effective, PhotoVogue will promote Open Calls by theme or within specific regions of the world. There are 27 editions of Vogue worldwide, each with their own distinct aesthetic and style, all united in pursuing excellence while creating timeless yet experimental images of what the spheres of fashion and beauty represent in the current day and age. Respecting this diversity and working toward a common goal is how Vogue secured a pioneering role worldwide in visual communication, and this second Global Open Call will be a clear celebration of both our differences and common threads in beauty standards and creative representation.
We want our community to grow and include artists expressing themselves through all kinds of media, therefore the call is multimedia: We are looking for artists who express themselves with photography, video, or both, and everyone can apply—the only requirements are to be over 18 years old and have talent!
The submissions will be evaluated by Condé Nast staff from all over the world along with experts from the broader international visual community. With judges from as many different backgrounds as possible, PhotoVogue will build an inclusive, diverse vision with space for every kind of visual aesthetic, from realist to fantastical, from documentary-inspired to glam and dreamy. Not only will all the Vogues worldwide publish a portfolio of the best submissions (online and/or in print), but some artists will also be selected to collaborate for an editorial (online and/or print), and the most talented ones will be part of the main exhibition at the PhotoVogue Festival 2023 in Milan come November.
In the past, PhotoVogue has helped launch the careers of numerous artists internationally by featuring them in Vogue Italia and its website, showcasing their work in exhibitions and collaborations in branded content with prominent brands. Just to name a few, some artists endorsed by PhotoVogue that ended up shooting the covers of Vogue’s editions worldwide include Kennedi Carter, Camila Falquez, Nadine Ijewere and Sonia Szostack. Now that we are globally engaging all the editions of Vogue worldwide, the possibilities to feature artists from different backgrounds, countries, and aesthetics have only multiplied. You could be one of the new voices that will shape not only our brand identity, but perceptions of our culture as well.
With this Open Call we are looking for visions that push the boundaries of the current beauty landscape. We want to highlight the next generation of socially conscious image-makers, artists who are a driving force for change and whose work can engage in a dialogue with different genres. From ideas rooted in the real and human to playful animation and futuristic concepts that defy typified constraints of age-old beauty standards.
We seek artists who are able to tackle issues relating to social justice and sustainability and communicate them through powerful, vibrant images, films or even AI-generated content. Beauty has become a shared language of expression across the board and are one of the primary tools used to build culture and identity. And Vogue, through its photography and stories, has always tackled this creative intersection with sociopolitical issues by raising questions, embracing innovation, and even influencing change. It only makes sense then, that we are committed to paving the way for the new generation of image makers in the beauty space, and we’d love for you to join us.
How to submit:
We are looking for artists who express themselves with photography, video, or even AI. You can also opt to mix the mediums. Everyone who is 18 years old and above is eligible to apply for PhotoVogue’s second Global Open Call.
Every applicant will be able to submit either: a maximum of 10 images from one project, one video, one multimedia project made with photos and videos. All of which can be AI-generated, but you must declare it.
You may submit even if you have been selected from our previous Open Calls as long as you propose a new project. There are no limits to creativity: The important thing is that the project expresses your vision of beauty in today’s world and your own unique, personal point of view.
Submissions for the Open Call will run on Picter from 1 March till 15 May and submitting will be completely free of charge. The submissions will be evaluated by Condé Nast staff from all over the world and visual experts from the broader international visual community coming from as many different backgrounds as possible, forming an inclusive and multifaceted perspective.
Make your submissions to PhotoVogue’s second Global Open Call here.
