BUGS!
Add to calendar
Download .ics (all dates)
-
Entry deadlineJul 18, 2026 · 6:59 AM
-
Show opensSep 28, 2026
-
Show closesOct 26, 2026
Organization:
Catch Light Calls for Entry
Location
Online
Entry Fee
Paid Entry
Deadline
July 17, 2026
Exhibition
Sep 28
- Oct 26, 2026
“Birth, life, and death — each took place on the hidden side of a leaf.” — Toni Morrison
Can bugs be beautiful? Many are, and at the very least, they are always interesting! Photographers, painters, illustrators, sculptors, and all other visual artists from amateur to professional, age 18 and older, are welcome to enter their most outstanding images of bugs. This is a great opportunity for macro photographers to show the tiniest details of insects up close, as well as for decorative artists who portray classically beautiful bugs like butterflies and ladybugs. Do not worry about scientific classifications about what technically defines a bug or insect; this call is for any small crawling or flying critter.
Judging criteria: Visual impact, creativity, originality, technical skill, adherence to theme and instructions, and how well the image works within the scope of the overall exhibition. Please do NOT submit images created with Artificial Intelligence due to copyright concerns.
The juror will be selecting up to 75 images in total.
Each image selected for this exhibition will appear in the following:
1. A feature article on the full exhibition in an upcoming issue of Catch Light: Creative Inspiration for Photographers & Visual Artists, a magazine available in print and digital format (available for purchase at blurb.com/bookstore). Each image in the magazine will be captioned with the artist's name, image title, medium, dimensions, one social media platform, and a website. (No purchase of the magazine is required; no freebies or screenshots are sent.)
2. An exhibition catalog that includes all selected images (available for purchase in print and digital format). Each image in the catalog will be captioned with the artist's name and location, image title, medium, dimensions, price, one social media platform, and a website. (No purchases of the exhibition catalog is required; no freebies or screenshots are sent.)
3. An online exhibition at JoyfullyGreen.com for four weeks, from Monday, September 28 through Monday, October 26, 2026. No password is required to view the online exhibition.
4. A feature post on Instagram during the four weeks of the exhibition.
Artists have the option to list their images for sale, and any interested buyers will be directed to the artist to arrange for payment and shipping. Artists will keep 100% of the sale; no commission will be taken. (See Terms of Entry for full details.)
The Juror for this exhibition is Joy Sussman, an award-winning photographer and the founding editor of Catch Light, a print and digital magazine of creative inspiration for photographers and visual artists. Joy started the blog JoyfullyGreen.com in the summer of 2012 with the intention of focusing solely on eco-friendly content; however, it quickly became apparent that her photographs on the blog were drawing the most attention from site visitors. This led Joy to create a total of seven online photography courses, in which she taught students from all around the world for the next decade. In December 2020, Joy launched Catch Light magazine. Each issue features in-depth interviews with working artists, as well as theme-based images from photographers worldwide. Prior to becoming a professional photographer and magazine editor, Joy worked in the creative sector of advertising in New York and Philadelphia, rounding out her career as a Creative Director. Her photographic work has been exhibited nationally and internationally. Joy's Call for Entry for her debut exhibition, "Into the Woods: The Magic & Majesty of Trees" went viral with over 215,000 views on Instagram.
This is a paid Call for Entry. The non-refundable fee is $25 U.S. for submitting up to 10 images for consideration. The fee is charged to cover some of the administrative costs of hosting a Call for Entry via EntryThingy.com, publicizing the Call for Entry and the resulting exhibition, and for the months of time and effort it takes for an artist to jury a competition, design and publicize an exhibition catalog, and design and publicize a magazine. If the fee is not within your current budget, you can search for free Calls for Entry on EntryThingy.com or search Instagram for #freeartcalls. Whether submitting to this Call for Entry or not, you are wished good luck!
If you are entering, please read ALL instructions (which include Frequently Asked Questions), ALL Entry Requirements, and ALL Terms & Conditions before you submit your entry. If you still have questions after reading the aforementioned sections, you may contact [email protected]. Good luck!
Can bugs be beautiful? Many are, and at the very least, they are always interesting! Photographers, painters, illustrators, sculptors, and all other visual artists from amateur to professional, age 18 and older, are welcome to enter their most outstanding images of bugs. This is a great opportunity for macro photographers to show the tiniest details of insects up close, as well as for decorative artists who portray classically beautiful bugs like butterflies and ladybugs. Do not worry about scientific classifications about what technically defines a bug or insect; this call is for any small crawling or flying critter.
Judging criteria: Visual impact, creativity, originality, technical skill, adherence to theme and instructions, and how well the image works within the scope of the overall exhibition. Please do NOT submit images created with Artificial Intelligence due to copyright concerns.
The juror will be selecting up to 75 images in total.
Each image selected for this exhibition will appear in the following:
1. A feature article on the full exhibition in an upcoming issue of Catch Light: Creative Inspiration for Photographers & Visual Artists, a magazine available in print and digital format (available for purchase at blurb.com/bookstore). Each image in the magazine will be captioned with the artist's name, image title, medium, dimensions, one social media platform, and a website. (No purchase of the magazine is required; no freebies or screenshots are sent.)
2. An exhibition catalog that includes all selected images (available for purchase in print and digital format). Each image in the catalog will be captioned with the artist's name and location, image title, medium, dimensions, price, one social media platform, and a website. (No purchases of the exhibition catalog is required; no freebies or screenshots are sent.)
3. An online exhibition at JoyfullyGreen.com for four weeks, from Monday, September 28 through Monday, October 26, 2026. No password is required to view the online exhibition.
4. A feature post on Instagram during the four weeks of the exhibition.
Artists have the option to list their images for sale, and any interested buyers will be directed to the artist to arrange for payment and shipping. Artists will keep 100% of the sale; no commission will be taken. (See Terms of Entry for full details.)
The Juror for this exhibition is Joy Sussman, an award-winning photographer and the founding editor of Catch Light, a print and digital magazine of creative inspiration for photographers and visual artists. Joy started the blog JoyfullyGreen.com in the summer of 2012 with the intention of focusing solely on eco-friendly content; however, it quickly became apparent that her photographs on the blog were drawing the most attention from site visitors. This led Joy to create a total of seven online photography courses, in which she taught students from all around the world for the next decade. In December 2020, Joy launched Catch Light magazine. Each issue features in-depth interviews with working artists, as well as theme-based images from photographers worldwide. Prior to becoming a professional photographer and magazine editor, Joy worked in the creative sector of advertising in New York and Philadelphia, rounding out her career as a Creative Director. Her photographic work has been exhibited nationally and internationally. Joy's Call for Entry for her debut exhibition, "Into the Woods: The Magic & Majesty of Trees" went viral with over 215,000 views on Instagram.
This is a paid Call for Entry. The non-refundable fee is $25 U.S. for submitting up to 10 images for consideration. The fee is charged to cover some of the administrative costs of hosting a Call for Entry via EntryThingy.com, publicizing the Call for Entry and the resulting exhibition, and for the months of time and effort it takes for an artist to jury a competition, design and publicize an exhibition catalog, and design and publicize a magazine. If the fee is not within your current budget, you can search for free Calls for Entry on EntryThingy.com or search Instagram for #freeartcalls. Whether submitting to this Call for Entry or not, you are wished good luck!
If you are entering, please read ALL instructions (which include Frequently Asked Questions), ALL Entry Requirements, and ALL Terms & Conditions before you submit your entry. If you still have questions after reading the aforementioned sections, you may contact [email protected]. Good luck!