About NIDA2018

NIDA International Photography Symposium 2018 is pleased to launch an open call for lens based works for a curated evening of projections in Nida, Lithuania. The topic of this open call is Self Reflection, tying in with the overall topics of this year’s programme.

We invite artists and photographers of any age, nationality and geographic location to submit lens based works in a form of photographic series or short videos (up to 10 min) exploring the topic. We are looking for broad and innovative interpretations of self reflection, whether it’s personal or family narratives, stories of communities or nations, trajectories of humanity, or perhaps reflections on the photographic medium itself.

We welcome analogue and digital experiments, collage works, videos, augmented photography, simulations and anything that may fall into the broad category of lens based media.

Selected works of up to 20 authors will be screened during NIDA International Photography Symposium 2018 in Lithuania in the first week of September (09.04.-09.09). The symposium is now in it’s 41st year and has grown to attract local and international artists, photographers, lecturers, historians and critics to a special location on Curonian Spit on the Baltic Sea. This year’s programme explores different topics including Self Reflection.

This is a great opportunity to share your work with an international audience of photographers, artists, curators, critics and gallery representatives in a unique setting of pine forests and sand dunes.

What winners receive

Up to 20 artists will have their submitted works screened at the projection event during NIDA International Photography Symposium 2018 in September.

One overall winner receives:

• Invitation to attend the symposium in Nida, Lithuania on the 4th- 9th of September. The winner will be given an opportunity to give an artist talk about their practice and become part of the official programme of the symposium.
• Accommodation in organisers’ chosen hotel and breakfast In Nida, Lithuania.
• Return travel to Nida for up to 200 EUR.

About curated evening of projection in NIDA 2018

NIDA International Photography Symposium 2018 is organised by Lithuanian Photographers Association that unites more than 300 members and runs 4 photography galleries in Vilnius, Kaunas and Klaipeda.

Previous editions have invited lecturers and participants from around the world including Martin Parr, Sharon Yaari, Liz Wells, Joachim Schmid, Paolo Woods and Gabriele Galimberti, Clare Laude, Calin Kruse, Alnis Stakle and many more.

The symposium, happening since 1973, has become a well known event in the region and internationally. Famous for combining high standard lectures, artist talks, workshops and exhibitions with the relaxed atmosphere in a unique setting on the Baltic Sea, the symposium aims to open up to new international connections whilst maintaining the charm of the resort town (previously fishing village).

The programme of the symposium allows to both enjoy the lectures and panel discussions, join in the workshops, attend screenings and photobook market as well as have enough time to swim in the sea, explore the biggest sand dunes in Europe and go wildlife spotting.

Nida is a unique resort town in a Curonian Spit National Park in Lithuania, surrounded by the Baltic Sea and the Curonian Lagoon. Busy with tourists over the summer, it returns to it’s usual calm in September. Nida, the surrounding pine forests and sand dunes are home to white- tailed eagles, foxes, hares, moose and wild boar. Cycling, Nordic Walking, sailing and fishing are among the tourist attractions, not to mention the local fish smokeries.

The closest airports are Palanga (86 km, 1,5 hours), Kaunas (270 km, 3 hours), Vilnius (357 km, 4,5 hours) and Riga (Latvia, 357 km, 5 hours).

To get more information on previous editions of NIDA International Photography Symposium, visit photography.lt

Juror information

Vilma Samulionytė (Lithuania) Curator at Lithuanian Photographers Association, Programmer at NIDA International Photography Symposium. photography.lt

Kotryna Ūla Kiliulytė (Lithuania/ Scotland) independent curator, artist and educator. kotrynaula.com

Gintarė Krasuckaitė (Lithuania) curator, Kaunas Photography Gallery. kaunasgallery.lt

How to enter

• one project per person (if work consists of both video and stills it can be submitted as one)
• 15- 30 images in jpeg format (at least 2500px and no more than 4000px on the long side)
• please number the images in the order you want them shown in
• for video works please provide a link to Vimeo/ Youtube or your website (if password protected please provide the password). Please add the link to the project statement.

Judging Criteria

We are looking for diverse approaches to the topic of Self Reflection, and we especially encourage to submit works that are experimental in nature. The judges are hoping to see moving image work, photographic stills, collage, installation, analogue and digital, anything that can be defined as lens based artworks. This open call is for a projection event and we will be also assessing how works fit the format. We especially welcome submissions with their own sound (-tracks), as long as the rights to the sound/ music are secured.