women street photographers exhibition CALL
BARCELONA, Spain, nOVEMBER 5-DECEMBER11
DEADLINE JULY 6, 2026
open to women and non-binary photographers
Guest judge:
Sarah leen
(Editor/ Educator. Former Director of Photography, National Geographic Magazine)
Curator:
Gulnara lyabib (founder of wsp)
AWARDS:
– Exhibition: 34 photographers exhibited in Barcelona, Spain. Opening November 5, 2026
IPFA gallery of the Centre Cívic Pati Llimona
On view: November 5-December 11, 2026
– 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!
- Finalists will be sent a new form with an agreement detailing the terms.
DEADLINE JULY 6, 2026, 6PM IN NEW YORK
34 FINALISTS WILL BE ANNOUNCED IN AUGUST on @womenstreetphotographers
FREE ENTRY
To promote and empower photographers who cannot afford the entry fee, 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. Provide the country of your residence and your reason for free entry. New York City residents are excluded.
GUEST JUDGE:
Sarah Leen
Editor/ Educator.
Former Director of Photography, National Geographic Magazine
In 2013, Sarah Leen became the first female Directory of Photography for National Geographic Magazine and Partners. For nearly 20 years prior Leen worked as an independent photographer for National Geographic magazine until 2004 when she joined the NGM staff as a Senior Photo Editor. As a photographer she published 16 National Geographic magazine stories, one book and produced six NGM covers. She has won numerous awards for both her photography and photo editing including College Photographer of the Year, Pictures of the Year, and the World Press Photo Awards. In 2020 Sarah moved to Maine and began a new career as an independent photo book editor, curator, and educator.
Leen teaches visual storytelling and photo editing at the Eddie Adams and Missouri Photo, Maine Media Workshops and her own Female Perspectives on Visual Storytelling. She has edited twelve photobooks since 2020 includingUkraine: A War Crime Ukraine Love + War, HABIBI by Antonio Facciolongo, We Cry in Silenceby Smita Sharma the 2022, The Phoenician Collapseby Diego Ibarra Sanchez, A Troubled Homeby Anush Babajanyan, Cosmic Solitudeby Yulia Grigorants and Birth Wars by Janet Jarman.
https://www.sarahleen.com
https://www.visualthinkingcollective.com
@roseleen
CURATOR:
Gulnara Lyabib 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.
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).