Texas Photographic Society is proud to announce the call for entry for By Hand: An Exhibition of Contemporary Alternative Process Photography, our sixth exhibition featuring hand-made photo-based imagery created using alternative photographic processes and historical printing methods. Our juror is acclaimed fine art photographer, author, and educator Jill Enfield. (See full bio and juror's statement below.) This call is open to artists of all levels internationally.
By Hand will open at the Wilma and Terence Dennis Gallery at Austin College in Sherman, Texas, on February 8, 2027 and run through March 26, 2027.
PLEASE NOTE: non-framed and three dimensional work is now being allowed. Please see the IF YOUR WORK IS ACCEPTED section below.
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
October 22, 2026 - Call for entry opens through Cafe.
December 20, 2026 - Deadline for entry (11:59 p.m. Mountain Time)
January 15, 2026 - Exhibiting artists announced and emails sent to all entrants
February 2, 2027 - Work due in Abilene, Texas
February 8, 2027 - Exhibition opens at the Center for Contemporary Arts
March 26, 2027 - Exhibition closes
AWARDS
First Place = $400
Second Place = $250
Third Place = $150
Up to 5 Honorable Mentions may be awarded
ENTRY FEE
The entry fee for current TPS Members is $30 for 5 images, plus $5 for each additional image. The Non-Member entry fee is $40 for 5 images, plus $5 for each additional image. You do not have to be a member of TPS to enter. However, if you enter the competition and join TPS or renew as a member at the same time, you can pay the reduced current TPS Member entry fee of $30.
You may enter up to 12 images.
TPS Member Benefits include member feature opportunities via our Members' Gallery, Member Spotlight, Blog, Members' News, Members' Instagram Takeover, social media accounts and E-Zine, discounted entry fees to most TPS competitions, and discounts to programs and services offered through our partnerships.
If you are not sure of your TPS member status, please contact TPS at cpireland@texasphoto.org. All entry and membership fees are non-refundable.
ELIGIBILITY
By Hand: An Exhibition of Contemporary Alternative Process Photography is open to artists internationally, of all levels, who are at least 18 years old at time of entry. Works exhibited previously in a TPS show are not eligible. Current members of the TPS Board of Directors are permitted to enter but are not eligible for awards.
All photography-based work using alternative processes is encouraged, including but not limited to Albumen, Anthotype, Argyrotype, Athenatype, Bayard Direct Positive, Calotype, Carbon, Casein, Chrysotype, Cyanotype, Dusting-On Process, Gum Bichromate, Gumoil, Herschel’s Breath Printing, Inkjet Photopolymer Gravure, Ivorytype, Kallitype, Mordancage, Platinum/Palladium, POP, Solarplate Intaglio, Van Dyke Brown, Wet Plate Collodion, Whey Process, Ziatype and all photographic image-making techniques that incorporate traditional mediums such as printmaking, ceramics or painting.
IMAGE REQUIREMENTS
Please submit digital JPG files only, minimum of 1200 pixels on the longest side and 5 MB maximum. Please remove watermarks from images. For each image you will need to provide the image title and the process (medium) used to make the image/print (Archival Digital Print, Silver Gelatin Print, Platinum/Palladium Print, Wet Plate Collodian, etc.) To clarify, you will submit a digital file of your image for the contest application; if your work is selected for the show you will print your image, frame it, and ship it to the exhibition venue.
Please note: TPS calls are conducted through CaFÉ. Applicants will need to create a free account with a portfolio of images, and then apply to each specific call with images from your portfolio. All images you intend to use for each application must be uploaded to your portfolio before you begin your application. Later additions to your application cannot be accommodated.
Need help resizing images? You can resize via a Mac or PC computer, or use a number of third-party applications, many of which offer free trials or solutions. Please go here for suggestions.
ABOUT THE JUROR
Jill Enfield is a fine art photographer, author and educator who has accomplished international acclaim, in all three of these capacities, as a leading authority in Alternative Photographic Processes. In addition to expertise in current standard digital photo techniques for the last 10+ years, Enfield is also known for her instruction of hand coloring, wet plate collodion, and an array of other photo processes at Parsons The New School for Design, Fashion Institute of Photography, New York University, Long Island University, Brooklyn Campus, and the International Center of Photography in New York City as well as RISD. For years Jill has also appeared annually for workshops around the world including Cairo, Croatia, Edinburgh, Italy, Lisbon, London, Norway, and dozens of other cities around the globe as well as many cities in North America, including Anderson Ranch, Maine Media Workshops, Palm Beach Photo Workshops, Penland School of Crafts, and Santa Fe Photographic Photo Workshops.
As for her own photographs, Enfield’s work is in the permanent collections of The Amon Carter Museum of Art, Bellagio Hotel, Bibliothque Nationale, The Boca Raton Museum of Art, Canyon Ranch Spa and Resort, The Crocker Art Museum, The Florida Senate, Hilton Hotels, Marriott Hotels, Southeastern Banks, The Toledo Museum of Art, and Museo de Arte Moderno de Medillin, Bogota and Cartagena, in Colombia, where her work was shown during a three month exhibition that traveled throughout the country including her personal engagements for lectures and openings. As for exhibitions, Enfield has been the subject of dozens of solo exhibits over the years, in galleries and museums around the world. Her work is also included in hundreds of group exhibitions.
A partial list of Enfield’s commercial clients include American Baby, American Express, American Heritage Magazine, AT&T, Con-Ed, Disney, Discover Channel, Fortune Magazine, Guatemala Tourism, Hasselblad, Hershey Park, Kodak, LIFE Magazine, National Geographic, Nikon, Penguin Putnam, Inc., SC Johnson, St. Martin’s Press, The New York Times Magazine, Vassarette Lingerie, Woman’s Day Magazine and many others.
Jill’s personal work has appeared in such publications as American Photo, Archive Books, Camera Arts, Camera & Darkroom Techniques, Digital Camera, Hasselblad’s FORUM Magazine, Modern Photography, National Geographic, Nikon World, PDN, Photo Techniques, Popular Photography, Shutterbug, Step by Step and ZOOM.
Jill’s first book on non-silver techniques titled Photo Imaging: A Complete Guide to Alternative Processes was published by Watson-Guptill, Amphoto in November 2002 and won the Golden Light Award for Best Technical Book of 2003 through the Maine Photographic Workshop. Her second book, Jill Enfield’s Guide to Photographic Alternative Processes: Popular historical and Contemporary Techniques, was published by Focal Press in 2013, has already sold out and is currently being prepared for a third printing.
By Hand: Alternative Processes is made possible through the support of our TPS Members
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SALES
TPS encourages the sale of exhibited work and will collect no commission from all prints sold during the exhibition. Please indicate the sales price of your print, including frame/finishing. If your finished piece is not for sale, simply note NFS. If your work is accepted and you do not indicate a sales price, the artwork will be listed as NFS.
IF YOUR WORK IS ACCEPTED
1. In keeping with the "by hand" nature of the work for this call, we have decided to make an exception and allow artists to submit work with methods of presentation other than traditional frames and plexiglass. If an alternative presentation is essential to the work, two dimensional images may be hung with magnets, dowels, or other secure and simple-to-install methods (special hanging supplies must be provided by the artist). Three-dimensional work is also allowed and will be displayed on pedestals or wall shelves.
The finished piece must not exceed 30" in the longest dimension (including the frame).
Also, please keep in mind that framing is still the safest and easiest way to ship and present your work. If you have any questions, please contact Chris Ireland at cpireland@texasphoto.org prior to applying.
Clearly label the back of your work with your full name, address, telephone number, email address, image title, medium, dimensions and sales price or NFS. TPS reserves the right to exclude works from the exhibition that are not gallery-ready and professional in presentation.
2. A prepaid return UPS or FedEX shipping label MUST be provided with your work for prints to be returned to you when the exhibition concludes. Work WITHOUT return shipping will NOT be included in the exhibition and will NOT be returned. Please keep a copy of the prepaid return shipping label and your receipt. Packing peanuts are NOT permitted. Please ship prints in a flat box (do not use moving boxes) as our storage space is limited. Prints will be return-shipped in the container in which they were received.
3. Framed prints with prepaid return shipping label must arrive at the Center for Contemporary Arts in Abilene, Texas, by February 2, 2027.
TPS and Austin College will exercise all due care in handling your artwork. However, TPS is not liable for loss, theft, damage, or replacement of artwork, nor is TPS liable for damage during shipping. Austin College does not insure artists' work. Please consider insuring your work.
TPS TERMS AND AGREEMENT
You retain all rights to your images. If your image is selected for the exhibition, you grant Texas Photographic Society (TPS) the right, in perpetuity, to use and display your image, image title and process, your name, city, state, and country of residence for TPS publicity and promotion. Permissible use includes the display, reproduction, and distribution of said information on the TPS website, in TPS exhibitions, presentations, program promotions, artist features, fundraising initiatives and publications, and on social media networks, without further contact from TPS. Please note that we may have to crop images to meet space/proportion requirements for promotional platforms.
TPS will not be held responsible for loss, theft, damage, or replacement, whether caused by the negligence of its officers, members, or others. TPS is not liable for damage during shipping. Non or expired members of TPS who pay the Current TPS Member entry fee without joining TPS or renewing at the time of entry, will be disqualified. All entry and membership fees are non-refundable. Submission entry and payment signifies understanding and agreement to all of the above terms and conditions.
QUESTIONS?
If you have any questions, please contact TPS Executive Director Chris Ireland at cpireland@texasphoto.org.