Compete 16th Arbella International Photography Contest
Opportunity Description
International Deadline: September 6, 2026 – Arbella Pasta invites amateur and professional photographers worldwide to participate in the 16th Arbella International Photography Contest.
Celebrating its sixteenth edition during the 200th anniversary year of the invention of photography, the competition aims to connect photographers from different countries, cultures and creative backgrounds through the universal language of visual storytelling.
The 2026 contest features two sections: “Beauty of Imperfection” and “Open.”
The Beauty of Imperfection section invites photographers to explore the character, emotion and visual richness found beyond conventional ideas of perfection. Entries may focus on traces of time, ageing, cracks, irregular forms, vulnerability, coincidence, transformation and unexpected details found in people, nature, objects, architecture or everyday life.
ELIGIBILITY
The Open section welcomes photographs from any subject or genre, including documentary, portrait, street, nature, landscape, architecture, conceptual and experimental photography.
Photographers aged between 18 and 24 who enter either section will also automatically be considered for the Future Viewfinder Award, created to recognise and support emerging photographic talent.
JURY
Barbara Di Maio is a conference interpreter and translator living in Italy; she has been involved in photography since the early 2000s. She studied fashion and portrait photography at the International Center of Photography (ICP) in New York, then completed her master’s degree in Photojournalism and Reportage at the Rome School of Photography and Cinema.
Coşkun Aral started his career in press photography in 1974 and gained international fame with his photographs of the bloody May 1st events in 1977. His photos have been featured in prestigious magazines like Time and Newsweek through Sipa Press, and in 1980, he achieved an international journalistic success by conducting the world’s first interview with hijackers on a hijacked plane.
Ercan Arslan laid his academic foundations at the Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University, Department of Photography, and completed his master’s degree at the same institution in 2019. At the heart of his professional career is his 30-year role (1993-2023) as a photojournalist and photo editor at Milliyet Newspaper.
İlkay Öztürk is a photographer, instructor, and creative director specialized in gastronomy photography, visual storytelling, and brand content. With a strong narrative language coming from a background in journalism and publishing, she has been conducting professional work in communication, content production, and photography for over 25 years.
Sumru Gözaydın is a senior corporate communications professional in strategic marketing and brand communication in the food industry. After her university education at Université de Nice-Sophia Antipolis, she joined Durum Gıda in 2020 as Corporate Communications and Marketing Manager after working for many years in various communication roles at established agencies and international brands.
CATEGORY AWARDS
A maximum of 26 photographs in total for both categories will be selected and launched as an “Exhibition”.
Beauty of Imperfection
The contest’s main category, “Beauty of Imperfection,” aims to reveal the aesthetics, emotions, and stories carried by details that fall outside the conventional perception of perfection.
- First Place Award 1.500 USD
- Second Place Award 1.000 USD
- Third Place Award 750 USD
- Future Viewfinder (18-24 Yaş) 750 USD
Open
The “Open” category offers participants the freedom to use the expressive power of photography without any subject restrictions.
- First Place Award 1.500 USD
- Second Place Award 1.000 USD
- Third Place Award 750 USD
- Future Viewfinder (18-24 Yaş) 750 USD
NO ENTRY FEE
Participation is free and open to individual photographers aged 18 and over from all countries. Each participant may submit up to five photographs in each section.
About:
As Arbella Pasta, on this journey we embarked on with the goal of strengthening our corporate identity through social responsibility and artistic projects, we continue to create an international platform that brings Turkish and world photographers together.
Made in Türkiye by the Arbel Group, ranking among the world’s largest pasta producers.
Ayazağa Mahallesi Kemerburgaz Caddesi Vadi
İstanbul Park Ofis 7B Blok No:60
34485 Sarıyer/İstanbul
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