Alternative Processes Competition - 2026

We’re excited to announce Soho Photo Gallery’s 22nd International Alternative Processes Competition. This year the competition will be featured in our Chelsea gallery from Wednesday, December 2nd thru Sunday, December 21st, with a gala Opening Reception on Thursday, December 3rd from 6 to 8 pm. 4th from 6 to 8 pm.

What are Alternative Processes?

Submissions to the competition include, but are not limited to, Albumen, Cyanotype, Van Dyke Brown, Platinum/Palladium, Gum Bichromate, Bromoil, Salt Print, Tintype, Ziatype, Daguerreotype, Image Transfer, Liquid Emulsion, Photogravure, and Chemigram.

Also welcome are handmade prints created from digital negatives. But traditional Silver Gelatin Prints, C-Prints, and Digital Prints are not eligible. AI-generated work should not be submitted.

Juror

We are pleased to have Amy Arbus as our juror this year. From 1980 to 1990, Amy worked with The Village Voice, photographing trendsetters who often went on to become well-known musicians, designers, and artists. Amy’s images later became her award winning book, On the Street 1980-1990. Her other books include The Inconvenience of Being Born and The Fourth Wall. Her photographs have also appeared in The New Yorker, New York Magazine and The New York Times.

Arbus has taught portraiture and storytelling at the International Center of Photography and at the Maine Media Workshops. She has had solo exhibitions worldwide, and her images are in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, The New York Public Library, and the National Theatre of Norway. In 2025, The Briscoe Center for American History in Austin, Texas acquired her archive.

Submission

The competition is open to all photographers 18 years old and older, excluding members of Soho Photo Gallery. To submit, use the Enter link below and upload your digital submissions and entry fee. Please be sure that the email address you use for CaFE is your current one!

Enter

Enter here: 2026 Alternative Processes Competition at callforentry.org .

Fees

US$ 45 – for 1-5 images
US$ 5 – for each additional image (up to 15 images)

Prizes

First Place – US$ 300
Second Place – US$ 200
Third Place – US$ 100
Two Honorable Mentions will also be awarded

Exhibition of Winning Photographs

Winning photographs will be exhibited at Soho Photo Gallery from December 2nd through December 21st. Note that the gallery commission for the sale of prints during the exhibition is 30%

Questions

If you have questions regarding the eligibility of an alternative process, or the submission requirements, please contact Competition Co-chairsMyra Hafetz and Thom O’Connor using the form below.

Soho Photo Gallery's AI Policy.

Important Dates

Deadline – September 23rd, 2026
Notification of Winners – October 29th
Work Due at Gallery – November 18th
Exhibition – December 2nd to December 20th
Opening Reception – December 3rd, 6pm to 8pm

Links to Recent Alternative Process Competitions: