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Call for Submissions: Penn IUR Global Photo Contest

Deadline: 15-Apr-2026

The Penn Institute for Urban Research is inviting global photographers and visual storytellers to enter the 10th annual Sharing and Caring Cities Photo Contest, celebrating collective urban life. Participants submit original photos or short videos (≤1 minute) that capture moments of community, collaboration, and care in cities worldwide.

The Grand Prize is USD 500, with additional Honorable Mentions featured in Penn IUR’s newsletter, social media, and annual report. Submissions are open to all ages and experience levels, and entrants retain copyright while granting Penn IUR a perpetual license for attribution use.

Contest Overview

The Sharing and Caring Cities contest encourages participants to document urban life where people, communities, and environments intersect, highlighting how shared spaces foster:

  • Belonging and resilience

  • Innovation and collaboration

  • Civic, public, and private partnerships

Focus areas include:

  • Children interacting with elders in public parks

  • Artists or activists transforming public spaces

  • Commuters, vendors, and neighbors moving together in daily routines

  • Nature harmoniously integrated with urban infrastructure

  • Initiatives where private, public, and civic actors improve daily urban life

Submissions may reflect festivals, protests, transit hubs, shared rooftops, and other urban moments, with broad and creative interpretations encouraged.

Who Can Participate?

  • Open to anyone worldwide, all ages, all experience levels

  • Photographers, filmmakers, and visual storytellers

  • Participants may submit up to three entries (photos or short videos ≤1 minute)

  • All entries must be original and non-AI-generated (standard editing software allowed)

Funding and Prizes

  • Grand Prize: USD 500

  • Honorable Mentions: Featured in Penn IUR newsletter, social media, and annual report

  • Prizes are taxable income, with U.S. tax deductions applied for winners regardless of nationality

  • Winning works are credited to the creator, and entrants grant Penn IUR a perpetual, royalty-free, non-exclusive license for attribution use

How to Submit

  1. Select Your Work: Choose up to three photos or one-minute videos reflecting shared urban life

  2. Ensure Compliance: Work must be original, non-AI-generated, and adhere to ethical standards

  3. Prepare Metadata: Include title, location, and brief description of each entry

  4. Submit Online: Follow Penn IUR contest submission guidelines and deadlines

  5. Selection Process: Entries reviewed by a panel of Penn-affiliated judges

  6. Announcement of Winners: Grand Prize and Honorable Mentions announced and showcased in Penn IUR channels

Storytelling Focus

  • Highlight community, care, and collaboration in urban contexts

  • Showcase interactions across generations, cultures, and neighborhoods

  • Reveal urban solutions and creative adaptations to city life

  • Avoid entries that are purely staged or promotional, focusing instead on authentic lived experiences

Common Mistakes to Avoid

  • Submitting AI-generated work or heavily manipulated content

  • Exceeding the three-entry limit

  • Omitting proper attribution or metadata for each entry

  • Ignoring ethical photography standards (e.g., consent, privacy, cultural sensitivity)

  • Not aligning submissions with the human-centered urban life theme

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. Who is eligible to participate?

Open to the public worldwide, all ages, and all experience levels.

2. How many entries can I submit?

Participants may submit up to three photos or short videos (≤1 minute each).

3. Are AI-generated images allowed?

No. Entries must be original, non-AI-generated; standard editing software is permitted.

4. Who retains copyright?

Entrants retain full copyright, while granting Penn IUR a perpetual, royalty-free, non-exclusive license for attribution use.

5. What is the prize for the top submission?

The Grand Prize is USD 500, with additional Honorable Mentions featured in Penn IUR’s global newsletter, social media, and annual report.

6. Are prizes taxable?

Yes. U.S. taxes will be deducted from payments to winning entries, regardless of nationality.

7. What types of stories or images are preferred?

Stories and images that capture shared urban life, collaboration, community resilience, and human-centered approaches in diverse urban contexts.

Conclusion

The Sharing and Caring Cities Photo Contest is a global opportunity to highlight human-centered urban experiences, showcasing how people, communities, and environments coexist and thrive together.

Through photos and short videos, participants can tell powerful stories of connection, innovation, and collaboration in cities worldwide, while gaining recognition, exposure, and a chance to win funding from the Penn Institute for Urban Research.

For more information, visit The University of Pennsylvania.