Water (workshop, education & exhibition) – apply till 23.6. 2025

The project is aimed at photographers from Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, and Ukraine who explore the theme of “Water” through their lens in various contexts. The open call is not limited by the year the photographs were taken, so we invite all groups and generations of photographers to participate with their photo series related to the theme of Water. The open call is also open to students from the V4 countries and Ukraine.

An international jury will select 15 photographers from Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, and Ukraine in early summer 2025. These selected artists will have the opportunity to exhibit their photographic series during the SLOVAK PRESS PHOTO 2025 exhibition in the fall. Before the exhibition, they will take part in a two-day workshop and mentoring session, where they will work with a professional photographer to select the final photos for the show. These works will be introduced to the public during an artist talk, followed by the Water open call exhibition.

The final exhibition will travel across the region to reach a broad audience and will be accompanied by public discussions and educational events.

Maral Deghati

is an international photo-editor. Producing photography and multimedia narratives in collaboration with photojournalists worldwide on issues concerning developing and conflict ¬stricken contexts across Asia, Africa and Europe. With a background in photojournalism, art history and psychology in a multicultural environment, her interests focus on the exploration of the human experience and its varied perspectives through photography and multidisciplinary action.

Beyond her role as a photo-editor for various international agencies, advocating visual literacy, curating exhibitions and educational projects are integral to Deghati’s work with photography. In 2014 she was the founding editor-in-chief for Me-Mo magazine, a new media interactive magazine of documentary photography. Deghati was a programmer for the WARM Festival in Sarajevo (2014-2018) and a curator of the exhibition co-produced by Bayeux Award For War Correspondents "Afghanistan, an endless war" (2019), as well as manager of education at World Press Photo and managing editor for News at Getty Images.

Magdalena Herrera

Art Director and Photo Editor. Born in Havana to a family of artists, Magdalena Herrera left Cuba as a child to settle in Paris, where she studied fine art and art history at the Sorbonne before starting her career as a graphic designer and art director. She has worked in books, print and magazines, spending ten years as Art Director and head of the photo department at National Geographic France before joining Geo France as Director of Photography.
Parallel to her journalistic work, Magdalena Herrera runs workshops and seminars around the world organized by the World Press Photo Foundation, including the Joop Swart Masterclass and Fokal, the Soros foundation, in Haiti. She has taught photojournalism at the Ecole Supérieure de Sciences Po, Paris.
She is regularly solicited as a Jury Member at international photography competitions and
was the chair of the 2018 World Press Photo contest.

Doc. Mgr. art. Jana Hojstričová, ArtD.

is a photographer and teacher at the Academy of Fine Arts in Bratislava, where she leads the "Studio of Photography, Reality, Construction". In her photographic work she deals with the topics such as the status of women, contemporary family and society, and currently also with the issues of museum culture. In addition to her photographic work, she also specializes in glass, ceramics and design photography. She also researches photography and photographic technologies of the 19th century. In recent years, she has collaborated with Pal Macha, a glass artist. She has prepared a number of exhibitions for domestic and international audiences. She currently lives and works in Bratislava.

The theme of water is presented in the context of one of the most essential resources for our lives. It includes various perspectives such as drinking water, the generation of electricity from water, the use of mineral, thermal, and healing springs, as well as ecological concerns and climate change. It also addresses floods and extreme weather events, the social dimensions of water, and its cultural and historical uses, etc.
Through the lens of documentary photographers and their visual storytelling—supported by powerful imagery—this project aims to advocate for the protection and sustainable management of water resources, improved access to clean water and sanitation, support for water-resilient agriculture, solutions to water pollution, and responses to climate change, floods, and droughts.

The project also seeks to emphasize that the Danube Lowland contains the largest reserves of drinking water, which need to be protected. Additionally, water is a clean source of energy, and the Danube represents a major waterway through the region. At the same time, water demonstrates its destructive power through floods—something we must prepare for. Climate change is already here, and we need new strategies and solutions to prevent the devastating consequences of both floods and the severe droughts that have recently affected the region.

Regional Relevance
The issue of water is highly relevant for all participating countries, as we share similar climatic and environmental challenges. Climate change, which affects drinking water sources and contributes to extreme weather, is a shared issue across borders. It cannot be addressed without considering its transboundary aspects. That’s why this project is designed to extend beyond Slovakia and reach the broader Central European region.

Please send the following information

via email to :

opencallwater@slovak-press-photo.sk

Required information:

1. Personal information:

First name
Last name
Date of birth
Nationality
Other nationality (if applicable)

2. Your address:

Street
City
ZIP code
Country

3. Contact information:

Phone number
Email

4. Additional information:

Professional photographer + name of employer
Student
Freelance photographer

5. Few words about you
6. Few words about the photo series
7. Year the photos were taken
8. Link to download the photos

Each photographer may submit a minimum of 9 and a maximum of 18 photographs per entry series. A maximum of 2 photographic series can be submitted.

Photos must be submitted in JPG format, with a minimum resolution of 3000 px on the longer side.
Use file-sharing services such as WeTransfer, Úschovňa, Filemail, or similar.