In the dangerous suburb of Dobrinja, Meliha Varešanović walks proudly and defiantly to work during the siege of Sarajevo.Her message to the watching gunmen who surround her city is simple, “you will never defeat us.” Sarajevo 1995. Photograph by Tom Stoddart.
Open Call 2026 Closed - Submissions are being Reviewed!
Notification of Results: Monday 25 May 2026
Photographers from around the world are invited to submit work for the 2026 edition of the festival.
The festival dates are 2–26 September 2026 and the theme is TRUTH.
In a time increasingly shaped by image saturation, digital manipulation, and artificial intelligence, photography’s long-standing relationship with truth has become both unstable and urgent. We invite submissions that reflect on how truth is constructed, mediated, challenged,
and reimagined – and particularly interested in work that engages with the theme through the following lenses:
Personal TRUTH
Real, raw, and subjective experiences
Social TRUTH
Marginalised narratives, overlooked histories, and contested realities
Technical TRUTH
The camera versus AI, and the shifting authority of the photographic imag
Festival Exhibitions (2025)
About the Cape Town Photo Festival
The inaugural edition of this festival, held between 3 – 27 September 2025 was a great success.
THANK YOU to everyone who contributed to this success:
Our sponsors, photographers, speakers and the audience.
Cape Town also affirmed its place as a hub for photographic dialogue and exchange.
The second edition will be held from 2 – 26 September 2026. TRUTH as the theme.
Photographs have long been trusted as evidence in courts and newsrooms.
Yet today, images are easily manipulated, re-contextualised, and weaponised.
Under the theme TRUTH, the festival aims to examine photography’s role in shaping belief, memory, and power.
It is not a search for certainty,but more about how TRUTHS are produced, challenged, and resisted.
