International call dedicated to the female gaze
5th Edition
I AM – IO SONO
ORGANIZZATORI
The fifth edition of the international photography competition PREMIO FOTOGRAFIA AL FEMMINILE (WOMEN’S PHOTOGRAPHY AWARD) is promoted and organised by the Roma Fotografia association and the Department of Culture of Rome’s Municipality I Centro, in collaboration with the National Roman Museum and with the media partnership of IL FOTOGRAFO magazine.
INTRODUCTION
The Women’s Photography Award was created as a space for listening, visibility and storytelling from a female perspective on the contemporary world.
Female thinking, with its inward yet exploratory gaze, can take women anywhere, even to that horizon we call dreams. Dreaming is an important and valuable activity. Dreaming, in fact, gives breath to the soul, opening up broad horizons that prevent thought from being reduced to mere daily contingencies, to mere logic: it is, in fact, an incredible inner movement, a kind of fertile, silent and imaginative journey that allows us to transcend limits and reformulate a schematic order imposed by the society that surrounds and includes us.
Since its first edition, the Award has chosen to shine a light on the complexity with which the female universe observes and processes, in its ability to think laterally and deeply, creatively and unpredictably, an essential tool for fascinating, adventurous, intimate and sometimes secret stories, but always powerful and unique. It is through these personal and collective stories that women have managed to process and overcome inequalities and prohibitions. It is through the imagination of dreams that they have been able to find the direction to emancipate themselves and chart paths that have turned into achievements that once seemed impossible.
The fifth edition of the Award fits into this vision as an opportunity for further discovery and awareness: a space that recognises women not only as subjects of narrative, but as creators of meaning, builders of imagery, generators of new ways of interpreting reality and of the intangible perception of what arouses their attention.
PURPOSE
The fifth edition of the Award invites participants to use photography to tell the story of who we are today, where we come from and what worlds we are helping to build.
A story that no longer asks us to prove ourselves, but to exist, inhabit and transform.
- Enhancing the female perspective as a key to interpreting the present, capable of understanding the complexity of the world with depth, critical sensitivity and systemic vision.
- Supporting the affirmation of female identity as a complete, autonomous and relational experience, overcoming stereotypical, simplified or oppositional narratives.
- Encourage photographic storytelling that starts from within, from that intimate and often invisible centre where every woman keeps her memories, desires, fragility and transformative strength.
- Recognising the value of everyday gestures, quiet choices and intimate revolutions, places where women’s real “superpowers” manifest themselves: intuition, care, resilience, creativity and vision.
- Building a contemporary visual archive that collects personal and collective stories, individual and relational experiences, shaping a plural narrative of society through the perspective of women.
- Offering an inclusive space for expression to professional photographers, amateur photographers and citizens of all ages and backgrounds, recognising diversity of experience as an essential asset.
AWARDS
The works selected exclusively by the artistic committee will participate in:
A photographic exhibition in Rome from 9 May to 14 June at the National Roman Museum in the splendid rooms of Palazzo Massimo, consisting of:
The winner of the SINGLE SHOT category
The winner of the SHORT STORY category
The finalists in the SINGLE SHOT and SHORT STORY categories
PUBBLICAZIONE
- The most significant works will be published in the magazine IL FOTOGRAFO
AVVERTENZE GENERALI
- Exhibition set-up, framing and printing costs by the Associazione Roma Fotografia.
- Regular gallery updates on SITE www.roma-fotografia.it/ and on social networks FB and IG @romafotografiaeventi
- Selected works will be published in the online catalogue distributed free of charge in PDF format..
- TO REGISTER, SEE RULES BELOW and participate either in the Short Story or Single Shot
Museo Nazionale Romano – Palazzo Massimo
CATEGORIES.
SHORT STORY: The work presented must be a project consisting of a minimum of 4 maximum 8 photographs. The participant can also submit more than one project.
SINGLE SHOT: The participant can send one or more single images (even at different times).
Each author can also participate with multiple projects or multiple individual photographs in both categories.
HOW TO PARTICIPATE
Those who have reached the age of majority (18 years) professional and amateur photographers, foreigners and Italians, can join the initiative..
PARTICIPATION FEES (VAT INCLUDED):
THE CALL CLOSED SOON WE WILL ANNOUNCE THE WINNERS AND SELECTED
Participation will be subject to payment of the fee and completion of the form.
The registration fee is non-refundable.
AND TERMS OF DELIVERY OF THE MATERIAL
You can participate in the Call from 12 noon (CET) on Thursday 1 February 2026 until 11 p.m. (CET) on 20 april 2026.
Beyond this deadline the works sent will not be taken into consideration.
IMAGE TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS
Published or unpublished photographs, in black and white and in color with both vertical and horizontal and square shots, taken by any means, digital, analog or cellular, are allowed.
Photographs must be sent in low resolution maximum 1 mega exclusively in JPEG format (.jpg).
Photographs must not contain watermarks.
If selected by the Artistic Committee, the organizing secretariat of the Call may request the same images from the participants, jpg format in high resolution, to be sent no later than 10 days after receipt of the communication. This is to facilitate the production of prints and the best display during projections.
Images that do not comply with the required specifications will not be taken into account.
It is mandatory to declare whether the photographs were made through the use of AI image generators, also through the combination of one or more different techniques (example linpainting, outpainting and prompt whispering).
ARTISTIC COMMITTEE
The Artistic Committee is chaired by Federica Berzioli Editorial Coordination of IL FOTOGRAFO:
For Museo Nazionale Romano
Federica Rinaldi Director of the Museum
For the Municipality of Rome I Centro
Giulia Silvia Ghia Councillor for Culture
For Roma Fotografia:
Maria Cristina Valeri Photographer
Alex Mezzenga Photojournalist
The Artistic Committee, in total and unquestionable decision-making autonomy, will establish which individual photographs (SINGLE SHOT category) and portfolios (SHORT STORY category) that will participate in exhibitions and / or screenings and for other events in the rest of Italy.
Furthermore, where it is deemed appropriate, the photographic works (SHORT STORY category) can be extrapolated and included in an exhibition within the SINGLE SHOT category.
The individual photographs (SINGLE SHOT category) and the portfolios (SHORT STORY category) can therefore be selected to participate, simultaneously or at different times, in “ROMA FOTOGRAFIA” exhibitions and events.
The judgments of the Artistic Committee are and remain unquestionable and may be without specific motivation, both regarding the admission of the Works and regarding the participation, and therefore the curatorship, in the exhibitions that will be organized by ROMA FOTOGRAFIA and its partners
WARNINGS
The organization of the Call reserves the right to use the images sent for the purpose of promoting the Call itself, through online and paper publication. The copyright of the image and any other rights remain the prerogative of the participating photographer. The works delivered to the secretariat of the Organization, in the manner requested and within the deadline of the Call, and will not be returned.
The dispatch of the photographs and the payment of the participation fee signifies automatic acceptance of these Regulations.
The founding members of the ROMA FOTOGRAFIA Association as well as the members of the Scientific Committee and their respective families, as well as all those who collaborate in various capacities in the organization of the Call are excluded from the tender.
It is mandatory to declare whether the photographs were made through the use of AI image generators, also through the combination of one or more different techniques (example linpainting, outpainting and prompt whispering).
PRIVACY, AUTHOR’S RESPONSIBILITY AND RIGHT OF EXCLUSION
Each participant is responsible for the material presented he presents to the Call; therefore undertakes to exclude any responsibility of the organizers of the aforementioned towards third parties, also towards any subjects depicted in the photographs, above all if minors.
Each participant must inform any interested parties (people portrayed) in the cases and in the manner provided for by Legislative Decree June 30, 2003 n. 196 and subsequent amendments and by the GDPR 2016/679, as well as obtaining the consent to circulate them. In no case will the images sent contain data that can be classified as sensitive.
Each participant also declares to be the sole author of the images sent, which do not infringe the rights of third parties and that if they portray subjects for which consent or authorization is required, he has obtained it.
The organizers also reserve the right to exclude from the Call and not to publish the photos that do not comply in the form and subject with what is indicated in this announcement or with the commonly recognized rules on public morality, ethics and decency, for the protection of participants and visitors. .
Therefore, images deemed offensive, improper and harmful to human and social rights or vulgar images will not be admitted.
COPYRIGHT AND USE OF THE CALL MATERIAL
The rights to the photographs remain the exclusive property of the author who produced them, who however authorizes their use for events or publications related to the Call itself and for activities relating to the institutional or promotional purposes of the Roma Fotografia association and its Partners. . These companies will be able to use freely the images in their entirety, publish them on social networks, print them, promote them for the circulation of the Call or for other purposes associated with it in some way. Each author is personally responsible for the works presented; By registering for the call, the organization is automatically authorized to reproduce it in the catalogue, publications, CDs and on the internet without profit and by citing the name of the author of the images that will be sent.
Roma Fotografia and those who use the images insure to accompany the photos with the author’s name each and every time they are used.
We inform you that the personal data provided by competitors will be used for activities related to the promotional and management purposes of the Call and related activities, according to what provided for by Legislative Decree June 30, 2003 n. 196 and subsequent amendments and by the GDPR 2016/679. The material sent will not be returned under any circumstances.
ACCEPTIONS AND DECLARATIONS
The Authors participating in the International Call “I AM – IO SONO” authorize ROMA FOTOGRAFIA Association, the Organization and the Partners to publish and circulate offline and online, including the pages of social networks related to the event, images of and/or relating to the Works participating in the Call, in order to promote the initiative, ROME PHOTOGRAPHY in general and the event , using the means and techniques of communication/ disclosure that the same and the Organizer deem most suitable. With the participation and automatic acceptance of the regulations, the participating Author:
– authorizes the Organizer and the Partners of ROMA FOTOGRAFIA specifically to process their personal data in accordance with GDPR 679/2016;
– declares and guarantees to be the author of the Works presented, to be the sole author and owner of the same and related rights, to have full and exclusive availability of the same and related rights, including the rights of economic exploitation, and of the rights transferred in any case pursuant to these Regulations; it also guarantees the Organization and ROMA FOTOGRAFIA the peaceful enjoyment of the assigned rights, and that it has not put in place any acts that limit their availability and that these rights are therefore free from constraints of any kind;
– declares and guarantees that the Work participating in the Call is original and does not violate property rights or copyrights of third parties and undertakes to indemnify the Organizer and the Partners of ROMA FOTOGRAFIA and to indemnify them from any third party claim and/or damage relating or in any case connected to the Work presented, as well as to reproduction and publication; the Organizer and the Partners of ROMA FOTOGRAFIA are therefore exonerated from any responsibility for any disputes regarding the originality and authorship of the Work presented;
– authorizes the Organizer and the Partners of ROMA FOTOGRAFIA to insert, publish and reproduce the Work presented, with the relative photographic credits, and/or the registration documentation, entirely or in part, directly or through third parties, by any means of communication or support and methods, on the ROMA FOTOGRAFIA website, https://www.roma-fotografia.it/, on the social network pages linked not to the Call on the social media pages networks managed by the latter as well as those of the Partners;
– declares to be entirely responsible for the contents of the visual and textual material transmitted;
– declares to be aware that submitting the Registration Documentation that is incomplete and/or does not comply with these Regulations constitutes a reason for exclusion from the Award;
– authorizes the Organizer of ROMA PHOTOGRAPHY to keep the Registration Documentation, acknowledging that it will not be returned;
– declares to be aware that the work presented would be excluded from the Prize if it were wholly or partially copied or created in violation of the rights of others; – fully accepts the Call Regulations and declares to be aware that joining the Call, by sending the Registration Documentation, implies acceptance of all the clauses of these Regulations.
TREATMENT OF PERSONAL DATA
Pursuant to and for the purposes of the GDPR 679/2016, the personal data and images that are acquired as part of this Award are collected and processed, also with the aid of electronic means, for the purposes and activities related to the performance of the Prize, including the realization of exhibition events and publication on the website https://www.roma-fotografia.it/, or to execute legal obligations. The data controller is: Associazione Culturale ROMA FOTOGRAFIA, in the person of its pro tempore legal representative.
APPLICABLE LAW
The rights and obligations deriving from the Call are governed by Italian law. The Call and its prizes lie outside the Presidential Decree October 26, 2001, n. 430 on the “Regulations concerning the organic revision of the control of competitions and prize operations, as well as local chance events, pursuant to Article 19, paragraph 4, of Law no. 449 “, as it is aimed at the realization of an exhibition for cultural and social purposes and the Call its prizes will be considered according to the Work itself or on recognition of the personal merit of the artists, that is, it is destined in favour of entities or institutions of a public nature or that have eminently social or charitable purposes pursuant to art. 6, paragraph 1, lett. a) and e) of the aforementioned D.P.R. n. 430/2001.
COMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION
These Regulations are published on the website https://www.roma-fotografia.it/ For any information on the Call you can contact: romafotografiaphotocall@gmail.com
PREVALENT VERSION
The original version of these Regulations in Italian. The Regulations have been translated into English. In the event of a conflict between the English translation and the Italian version, the latter will prevail.