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Who gets visibility in the public realm? What gets forgotten or rendered (in)visible? How can photographs refuse erasure and act as documents which anchor a subject in a time and place? Share your photos and join the conversation.
Submit your photographs and our panel of judges will select their favourites for an online gallery on Autograph's website, and one outstanding contribution will win a bundle of Autograph publications. A selection of images will also be displayed on a digital billboard at Old Street Roundabout, one of London's busiest areas. The call for photographs is free to enter, and the deadline for submissions is 10am on Monday 8 January 2024.
This year is Autograph's 35th anniversary and as part of our celebrations, we want to see YOUR photographs responding to the theme 'Becoming Visible'. The theme of this call for photographs takes inspiration from Autograph’s long-standing history of supporting artists who use photography to explore issues of identity and representation, considering questions such as: who gets visibility in the public realm, what gets forgotten or rendered (in)visible, how can photographs refuse erasure and act as documents which anchor a subject in a time and place?
Submissions could include photographs, short videos or other art forms like photocollage. It could be an image of something you have already created, a new work or photos from your family album. You don’t need to own a fancy camera or be a professional artist to take part, everyone is welcome to join in.

Hélène is a visual artist of Togolese heritage. Her exhibition, Voyages, is currently on display at Autograph and explores the complex emotions of migration, displacement and exile.
Bindi is Autograph's curator, an artist working with photography and a visiting lecturer at London College of Communication. Her first major photobook Mountain of Salt was published by Perimeter Books in 2023.
Jennie is a photography editor, curator, consultant and mentor. She is a former Picture Editor of The Observer Magazine, where she worked for seventeen years. She launched the Jennie Ricketts Gallery in 2006.
Livvy manages Autograph's digital content and learning and participation programmes. They have a particular interest in programming around queer identity and disability justice issues.
Self-portraiture allows an artist to explore their identity, and the ways in which their body is (or isn’t) represented in society. The question of how to represent the self is one that photographers often come back to and self-portraiture was chosen as the first theme to be addressed by an Autograph exhibition – 'Autoportraits' – in 1990.
After immigrating to Britain from Jamaica in the 1950s, artist Armet Francis was left feeling culturally displaced, so he turned to photography as an aid to share his desire to connect with the rich and diverse Pan-African world. For more than 40 years, Francis has used photography to document life-affirming moments that celebrate the culture, resilience and survival of the African diaspora. You can see his work currently on display at Autograph as part of the exhibition 'Beyond The Black Triangle'
In Autograph's current exhibition, Voyages, Hélène Amouzou attempts to recapture her identity and sense of belonging through self-portraiture. The photographs were created during a period when the artist was seeking asylum in Belgium, part of her two-decade long journey seeking safety and citizenship. Amouzou appears as an apparition amongst suitcases – her movements and extended exposures confront a sense of belonging and unbelonging, locating and dislocating – and a refusal of erasure.
How many pictures can I submit?
You can submit a maximum of 3 images or artworks.
Do I have to be based in the UK to submit an image?
No! We are accepting images from people based anywhere in the world.
Is there an age limit?
No, but if you're under 16, you will need to have a parent or legal guardian's permission to take part in our call for photographs. Your parent or guardian will need to support your submission and provide their own contact information and personal details to complete the submission. Autograph will contact your parent or guardian to consent on your behalf to the terms and conditions of the call for photographs.
Are there any image specifications?
Submissions must be in a digital format but the image does not need to have been originally taken on a digital camera. High-quality scans are also acceptable. Digital files must be a minimum of 1200 pixels along the longest side.
Do I need to have completed a model release form to share my images?
If your photo depicts someone other than yourself, make sure you have their permission to take and share the photo. Technically, you are legally required to get a signed model release form when taking photos of other people. If your photograph contains an image of a child that is not your own, then we will need to see a release form signed by the parent or legal guardian of the child before we can display it on our site. For more information, see this document and handy model release template produced by the Royal Photographic Society.
What ethical guidelines should I follow when taking photos of people?
Photography and visual storytelling is a powerful medium, and it is important to consider ethical implications when taking images - to protect vulnerable people and provide honest representations of the subject at hand. To get a better sense of the ethical guidelines around photography, read the code of ethics produced by the National Press Photographers Association.
What are the copyright and usage rights of any images I submit?
By uploading and submitting your images, you confirm that you own the copyright for the works you are submitting, and grant Autograph permission to publish these images on our website (autograph.org.uk) and on Autograph's social media. Your images may also appear in reports we send to our funders and other organisations about our work. If your image is selected to feature on our website, Autograph may also include your image in a press pack to promote the project to local, national and international press. Copyright for any images you submit will remain with you. We will credit all images under the name you submit them with.
Remember - you can decide at any time for Autograph to stop using your images, in which case they will not be used for any future purposes, but may continue to appear on platforms / publications already in circulation.
I have an unanswered question, how can I contact you?
Get in touch with us by emailing info@autograph-abp.co.uk
Images submitted to Autograph's past call for photos, featured in the Guardian
View image gallery
Images submitted to Autograph's past call for photos light up the digital canvas at London's busy roundabout
See more
Explore Autograph's image galleries, addressing issues of identity, race, representation and social justice.
See moreBanner image: Joy Gregory, from the series Autoportrait 1989/1990, commissioned by Autograph.
Images on page: 1) Joy Gregory, from the series Autoportrait 1989/1990, commissioned by Autograph. 2) Armet Francis, Fashion Shoot, Brixton Market, London, 1973. © and courtesy the artist. 3) Hélène Amouzou, from the series Autoportrait, Molenbeek, 2007-2011. © and courtesy the artist.
Autograph is a place to see things differently. Since 1988, we have championed photography that explores issues of race, identity, representation, human rights and social justice, sharing how photographs reflect lived experiences and shape our understanding of ourselves and others.
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