PORTAL — At the Edge of Becoming | Decagon Gallery
Organization:
Decagon Gallery
Location
Online
Entry Fee
Paid Entry
Deadline
June 3, 2026
Exhibition
Jun 20
- Aug 20, 2026
A juried photography exhibition for images that hold a viewer at the edge of something — where a shift is imminent but not yet complete. Not symbols of transition. Photographs that are thresholds. Juried by Douglas Stockdale (PhotoBook Journal). Solo show awarded to First Place. $25 / 8 images. Deadline June 3, 2026.
A portal is not simply an opening. It is a condition.
We are looking for photographs that place a viewer at the edge of something — where a shift is imminent but not yet complete. This may appear as a physical passage, but it doesn't have to. What matters is not the presence of a doorway, but the presence of tension.
The strongest images will resist resolution. They will not describe transition — they will embody it.
This might take the form of: a figure caught between visibility and disappearance; a space that suggests entry but withholds access; a moment suspended before or after an event; an image that feels structurally unstable or psychologically unsettled.
Literal interpretations (doors, windows, tunnels) are welcome only when the photograph itself carries this tension. A door is not a portal unless something is at stake.
We are not looking for symbols. We are looking for photographs that operate as thresholds.
JUROR
Douglas Stockdale is a visual artist, editor, and educator whose practice centers on the photobook as a form of contemporary art. He is the founder and publisher of PhotoBook Journal and writes the long-running blog Singular Images. His work is held in the collections of the Museo d'Arte Contemporanea di Roma, the Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library (Yale), and Reminders Photography Stronghold.
ABOUT DECAGON GALLERY
Decagon Gallery is an online fine art photography gallery based in Brooklyn, now in its fourth year. We produce juried Spotlight exhibitions with named jurors, cash prizes, and printed catalogs — and recently mounted our first physical exhibition at the Tbilisi Museum of Modern Art. We take our exhibitions seriously and treat selected photographers accordingly.
decagongallery.com
WHAT SELECTED PHOTOGRAPHERS RECEIVE
First Place: Solo exhibition on the gallery website
Inclusion in the curated online exhibition
Permanent exhibition page on Decagon Gallery
Feature on Decagon's Instagram
Inclusion in the printed exhibition catalog
SUBMISSION DETAILS
Open to all photographers worldwide
All photographic styles and processes welcome
Up to 8 images per submission
JPG files, 2100px on long side, no watermarks, borders, or text
Entry fee: $25 for up to 8 images
Deadline: June 3, 2026 (11:59 PM Eastern)
Notification: June 15, 2026
Exhibition: June 20 – August 20, 2026
A portal is not simply an opening. It is a condition.
We are looking for photographs that place a viewer at the edge of something — where a shift is imminent but not yet complete. This may appear as a physical passage, but it doesn't have to. What matters is not the presence of a doorway, but the presence of tension.
The strongest images will resist resolution. They will not describe transition — they will embody it.
This might take the form of: a figure caught between visibility and disappearance; a space that suggests entry but withholds access; a moment suspended before or after an event; an image that feels structurally unstable or psychologically unsettled.
Literal interpretations (doors, windows, tunnels) are welcome only when the photograph itself carries this tension. A door is not a portal unless something is at stake.
We are not looking for symbols. We are looking for photographs that operate as thresholds.
JUROR
Douglas Stockdale is a visual artist, editor, and educator whose practice centers on the photobook as a form of contemporary art. He is the founder and publisher of PhotoBook Journal and writes the long-running blog Singular Images. His work is held in the collections of the Museo d'Arte Contemporanea di Roma, the Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library (Yale), and Reminders Photography Stronghold.
ABOUT DECAGON GALLERY
Decagon Gallery is an online fine art photography gallery based in Brooklyn, now in its fourth year. We produce juried Spotlight exhibitions with named jurors, cash prizes, and printed catalogs — and recently mounted our first physical exhibition at the Tbilisi Museum of Modern Art. We take our exhibitions seriously and treat selected photographers accordingly.
decagongallery.com
WHAT SELECTED PHOTOGRAPHERS RECEIVE
First Place: Solo exhibition on the gallery website
Inclusion in the curated online exhibition
Permanent exhibition page on Decagon Gallery
Feature on Decagon's Instagram
Inclusion in the printed exhibition catalog
SUBMISSION DETAILS
Open to all photographers worldwide
All photographic styles and processes welcome
Up to 8 images per submission
JPG files, 2100px on long side, no watermarks, borders, or text
Entry fee: $25 for up to 8 images
Deadline: June 3, 2026 (11:59 PM Eastern)
Notification: June 15, 2026
Exhibition: June 20 – August 20, 2026