WOMEN STREET PHOTOGRAPHERS

COMING SOON

women street photographers annual exhibition CALL

NEW YORK CITY, APRIL 10-20

open to women and non-binary photographers

Guest judgeS:

LAURA SACKETT (co-founder, creative director, LENS CULTURE)

ELIZABETH KRIST (National Geographic, ICP, WOMEN PHOTOGRAPH)

MARY-IRENE MAREK (VP of marketing, leica CAMERA USA)

Curated by Gulnara lyabib (founder of wsp)

AWARDS

– 70 Women and non-binary Street Photographers will show their work at the Artspace PS109 gallery, April 10-20

Two US$1000 Grants, Sponsored by Leica Camera

– Publication on social media with over 200,000 followers

– Dedicated page on www.womenstreetphotographers.com

The fees:

-This is a juried exhibition. Entries fee is $15.00 per photo.

– There will be no additional or hidden cost to photographers chosen for the exhibitions. The exhibition will cover all printing and framing cost.

- No refunds will be made but please know your fee helps to support Women Street Photographers around the world. Thank you!

***The finalists will be sent a new form with an agreement detailing the terms.

The DEADLINE IS NOVEMBER 10, 2025

70 FINALISTS WILL BE ANNOUNCED ON OR AROUND december 21 on @womenstreetphotographers

SUBMISSION FORM

FREE ENTRY

To promote and empower photographers who cannot afford the entry fee (New York City residents excluded), or if you are unable to pay by credit card because of restrictions in countries affected by U.S. embargo, you may request up to two free entries. Please email hello@womenstreetphotographers.com to receive a fee waiver form and briefly explain your reason.

GUEST JUDGES:

Laura Sackett is the creative director and co-founder of LensCulture, one of the leading sites committed to discovering and publishing the best in the contemporary photography. She leads all aspects of design including strategy, brand, website, print, communications, screenings and exhibitions. Besides leading the creative direction for LensCulture, she also designs and co-curates LensCulture exhibitions and the online galleries. Laura is a juror, reviewer & nominator in several international Photo Awards and Festivals. She is a founding Board Member of PhotoAlliance, and earned an MFA in photography from the California College of the Arts. She currently lives in Oakland, CA.

Elizabeth Krist was a photography editor at National Geographic magazine for over 20 years, and is now on the boards of Women Photograph and of the W. Eugene Smith Fund. She often works with CatchLight and with the Eddie Adams Workshop, and is a contributing editor for Virginia Quarterly Review. She has freelanced for The New Yorker and Magnum Photos, and curated National Geographic’s Women of Vision exhibition and book, as well as five Photoville installations. Elizabeth helped program National Geographic’s Photography Seminar for over a dozen years. She teaches for ICP. Recently she has collaborated with Magnum Foundation, Leica, Apple, and the Joop Swart Masterclass for World Press. NPPA recognized her with their 2025 Outstanding Leader Award.

Mary-Irene Marek is a seasoned marketing executive with a deep passion for the photography industry and a career dedicated to serving its vibrant community. With a master's degree from the University of Massachusetts, she began her professional journey with the Eastman Kodak Company, where she developed a keen understanding of the evolving visual media landscape. Immersed in a period of rapid technological advancement, she embraced the shift from analog to digital, recognizing early on the transformative power of new tools and platforms in shaping the way photographers and filmmakers create, share, and connect with their audiences.

Her expertise expanded as she took on a leadership role at Adorama Camera in Manhattan, overseeing a team of filmmaking and photography professionals. In this capacity, she played a pivotal role in shaping marketing strategies, building industry partnerships, and fostering engagement among creatives and professionals alike. Her forward-thinking approach helped position the retailer at the forefront of innovative storytelling and content production, ensuring that photographers had access to the latest innovations and educational resources to elevate their craft.

Now, as Vice President of Marketing at Leica Camera USA, Mary-Irene continues to drive community and brand growth, leveraging her deep industry knowledge and strategic vision. She remains committed to empowering photographers, filmmakers, and visual storytellers through impactful marketing initiatives, educational programs, and community-driven efforts. Her ability to anticipate industry shifts and champion emerging technologies enables her to craft compelling campaigns that resonate with both seasoned professionals and the next generation of creatives.

Leica Camera USA

@leicacamerausa

WSP EXHIBITION CURATOR

Gulnara Lyabib Samoilova is a Tatar-born American photographer, author, curator, and founder of Women Street Photographers. With 45 years of combined experience as a documentary and street photographer, artist, darkroom printer, photojournalist, and photo editor, Gulnara has organized and curated more than 30 exhibitions across four continents, including the first two Women Street Photographers and Leica Women Foto Project Summits in New York City. She serves as the curator and designer of the annual Women Street Photographers Exhibition in New York City.

In addition to her curatorial work, Gulnara is an inspirational speaker, guest judge (LensCulture, Leica Women Foto Project, Lucie Photo Book Prize, UNESCO), portfolio reviewer (Les Rencontres d’Arles, PhotoNOLA), and Leica Oscar Barnack Award nominator.

A former Associated Press photojournalist, she received international recognition for her iconic photographs of September 11, including first prize in the World Press Photo competition and a Pulitzer Prize nomination by the AP. Her work is held in major collections such as the Museum of the City of New York, the New York Public Library, the New-York Historical Society, and the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. Gulnara, a 1994 graduate of the International Center of Photography, lives and works in New York City.

www.gulnara.com
@gulnara.samoilova

SUBMISSION FORM

Women Street Photographers FESTIVAL

artspace ps109, New York City,

APRIL 10-12, 2026

ABOUT WOMEN STREET PHOTOGRAPHERS

Founded in 2017 by photographer Gulnara Lyabib Samoilova, Women Street Photographers is a global community dedicated to supporting and amplifying the work of women photographers, both professional and amateur alike. It embraces artists of all races, ethnicities, creeds, generations, abilities, and gender identities, both online and in person.

With an inclusive and non-traditional approach, WSP expands the boundaries of street photography by showcasing diverse perspectives from around the world. Its platforms include the official website www.womenstreetphotographers.com, social platforms (Instagram, Facebook, Threads, Irys), the annual festival in New York City, traveling exhibitions, an Artist Residency, and the best-selling book Women Street Photographers (Prestel, 2021).

ABOUT ARTSPACE PS109

http://www.artspace.org/our-places/el-barrio-s-artspace-ps109

El Barrio’s Artspace PS109 is a community-driven project which has transformed an abandoned public school building in East Harlem into an arts facility with 89 units of affordable live/work housing for artists and their families and 10,000 square feet of complementary space for arts organizations.

PS109 is an impressive building. Designed by Charles B.J. Snyder and completed in 1898, this structure is five stories tall with a steeply pitched roof. Exterior details include several copper-clad cupolas and a wealth of decorative terra cotta.

PS109 contains 89 units of affordable live/work housing for artists and their families with 3,000 square feet available for a resident gallery in addition to 10,000 square feet of non-residential space for arts and cultural organizations on the ground floor and lower level.

ABOUT ARTSPACE

http://www.artspace.org/

Artspace is non-profit organization that uses the tools of real estate development to create affordable, appropriate places where artists can live and work. They consistently develop these projects in ways that also support more stable, healthy communities anchored in existing assets. Because Artspace owns each of the projects it develops, they are able to ensure that they remain affordable and accessible to artists in perpetuity. Over the last three decades, Artspace has led an accelerating national movement of artist-led community transformation. With headquarters in Minneapolis and offices in Los Angeles, New Orleans, New York, Seattle and Washington D.C., Artspace is America’s leading developer of arts facilities and has served as a consultant to hundreds of communities and arts organizations nationwide.