This year’s PhotoVogue Global Open Call celebrates the limitless ways women see and are seen—embracing photography and film as powerful tools to reclaim, redefine, and expand visual storytelling.

  
**The Urgency of Representation**

The illusion of linear progress – the belief that rights, visibility, and recognition are irrevocable – has been shattered by the current political climate. Around the world, we are witnessing increasing pushback against women's autonomy, from reproductive rights to freedom of expression, reminding us that what once seemed secure can also be taken away.

  
As these rights are contested, it becomes more urgent than ever to not only consider how women see but how they continue to carve out spaces for their perspectives. In a world where their ability to shape narratives and define vision remains a battleground, representation is both an act of resistance and a tool for change.

For generations, women have fought not only to reclaim how they are seen but to assert their right to see on their own terms. Photography and video have long been arenas where vision is not just about aesthetics but about power.

  
This year's PhotoVogue Global Open Call is dedicated to Women by Women – a celebration of the myriad ways women represent themselves and each other through photography and video.

  
**From The Female Gaze to Women’s Vision**

This is not a new conversation. In 2016, the PhotoVogue Festival explored The Female Gaze, featuring artists such as Cindy Sherman, Petra Collins, Aida Muluneh, Nan Goldin, and Zanele Muholi. At the time, it felt urgent and revolutionary – a necessary counterpoint to the Male Gaze theorized by Laura Mulvey. A new generation of female photographers and filmmakers was reclaiming their right to look and be looked at on their own terms.

  
Nearly a decade later, we ask: Does The Female Gaze still capture the evolving complexity of how women see today? While female-led perspectives in photography, film, and video have expanded, systemic barriers persist. Women continue to face disparities in visibility, opportunity, and financial stability. Meanwhile, digital platforms, while offering new avenues for representation, have also intensified scrutiny, commodified feminist narratives, and constrained women's freedom of expression.

  
Perhaps _The Female Gaze_, as a direct response to _The Male Gaze_, is no longer sufficient – it remains tied to a binary opposition. Instead, contemporary feminist and critical theories have expanded our understanding of vision and representation, moving beyond rigid categories to embrace fluidity, intersectionality, and self-definition.

  
**Women by Women: Reclaiming the Narrative**

In 2016, _The Female Gaze_ was a crucial intervention in a world where women's perspectives had long been overlooked. It was an essential step in reclaiming space in visual culture.

  
Nearly a decade later, the conversation must evolve. This open call moves beyond a binary response to _The Male Gaze_, embracing a more fluid, intersectional approach that reflects the complexities of identity, power, and representation today.

  
In 2025, Women by Women affirms that women's vision is not merely a reaction to The Male Gaze – it is a powerful force in its own right, free to shape its own narrative.

  
If the camera is power, then let's wield it – in our own voices, in our own thousand ways.

**We are awarding a total of $12,000 in grants to three artists whose work challenges conventions and expands creative possibilities:**

* $6,000 – Outstanding Vision Grant – _For an artist pushing creative boundaries._
* $4,000 – Vision Grant – _For an artist with a compelling and unique perspective._
* $2,000 – Rising Voice Grant – _For an emerging artist showing originality and promise._

  
**Selected artists will also:**

* Be showcased at the next edition of the PhotoVogue Festival
* Have the opportunity to be published in Vogue editions worldwide
* Be selected to participate in the next PhotoVogue Virtual Portfolio Reviews

Women by Women: A Global Open Call by PhotoVogue

This year's PhotoVogue Regional Open Call celebrates the diverse voices and dynamic creativity of regions within East and Southeast Asia, highlighting unique perspectives that push boundaries and redefine storytelling.

  
In celebration of the vibrant cultures and rich visual storytelling traditions of East and Southeast Asia, PhotoVogue is launching a Regional Open Call for photographers and videomakers from the following countries and regions and their diaspora: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, Mongolia, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Timor-Leste, and Vietnam.

  
This initiative aims to discover and promote the most talented visual artists from these regions, providing them with opportunities to emerge and collaborate within the Condé Nast global network.

  
The call welcomes all genres – from fashion to documentary, art, and reportage – and invites submissions from those who express themselves through photography and/or video. It is open to anyone who identifies with the heritage of the aforementioned countries, whether based in the region or elsewhere in the world. We are looking for diverse voices that reflect the region's multicultural essence, capturing its rapidly evolving urban landscapes and deeply rooted traditional heritage.

  
Submissions will be evaluated by a jury composed of global Condé Nast staff, including representatives from Vogue Japan, Vogue Taiwan, Vogue Singapore, Vogue Korea, Vogue Philippines and Vogue Thailand. Stay tuned for the announcement of the full jury panel.

**A total of $8,000 in grants will be awarded to three outstanding artists:**

* $4,500 – Outstanding Vision Grant: For an artist whose work redefines creative boundaries and sets new artistic standards.
* $2,000 – Vision Grant: For an artist with a unique perspective and a strong artistic voice.
* $1,500 – Rising Voice Grant: For a promising artist whose work shows originality and strong potential.

  
**Recognition & Exposure - Selected artists will:**

* ✅ Be showcased at the next edition of the PhotoVogue Festival
* ✅ Have the opportunity to be published in Vogue editions worldwide
* ✅ Be selected to participate in the next PhotoVogue Virtual Portfolio Reviews

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