Calendar event – now closed for entries: Introduce colour into monochrome processes (open again 2027 with new theme)

Inviting you to our next challenge: Colour! Join our Calendar Event – open for entries now, see them all here.
Each year, members unite around a theme to celebrate alternative photographic processes, fostering creativity and community. Past themes have included tributes to Anna Atkins (2023) and Sir John Herschel (2025), as well as creative challenges such as Composites (2024) and Colour (in 2026). This members-only event encourages experimentation and sharing. The results become beautiful, inspiring publications – calendars, journals, and books – created by artists, for artists, and shared with everyone to spread our passion for alternative photography. Exclusive to Supporting Members.

The Calendar Event: Colour (for the 2027 Calendar & Book)

• Open: Now
• Entries: 1st January – 31st March 2026 (open again in 2027)
• Theme: Colour
• Open to: Supporting Members
• Take part: Use the form below

The COLOUR theme: Since many alternative photographic processes are traditionally monochrome, the 2026 theme Colour invites artists to explore how to bring colour into their work – through toning, hand colouring, layering prints, using duo- or tri-tones, or discovering new creative methods. We know you’ll find inventive ways to surprise us!

• The motif: Any subject or theme.
• The process: Use ANY alternative photographic process
• Experimentation: Use any combination of colours – subtle or bold! The image should have at least 2 colours!

Questions you asked

• Can I tone an image? Yes, but only selectively. Fully toned images are still monochrome.
• Can I handcolour an image? Yes!
• I work in gum bichromate – it’s already colourful. Is that allowed? Yes, but push the colours in new, unexpected ways, for example, does a green pear have to be green?
• Do duo- or tri-tone cyanotypes qualify? Absolutely.

Taking part

Entries are open from January to 31st March for Supporting Members.

• 12 works will be featured in the Calendar, and a book may be produced, depending on the range of entries; allowing many more artists to be featured.
• Winners will be selected by voting. The artists participating in the event will be invited to vote.
• All prints will be showcased in our online gallery and on social media (as much as we can manage).
• As always, any profits from the calendar or book help support the running costs of AlternativePhotography.com.

How to send in your entry for the event

Follow the 3 steps:

You email us your entry to talk@alternativephotography.com. An entry consists of:

1. Reading through the Terms & Conditions
2. Fill out the form with your name, your location, social media, your bio, and image and description.
3. Send only 1 image per artist. That is ONE, not two or more. 🙂

Entries in the wrong format may not be entered. Do make our lives a little easier by following all of these steps, please. 🙂 We expect many entries, so we simply don’t have time to format and edit. If you can’t figure it out, just ask us.

1. Read through the Terms and Conditions – mandatory!

• Read ALL of the Terms and Conditions here
• By submitting your work, you agree to be bound by the Terms and Conditions on the link above.
• By entering your work into our Calendar, Journal & Book event, your work may be included in our publications, website and social media, but we reserve the right not to include it. Submission is no guarantee of publication. There is no guarantee there will be a calendar, journal or book; this is dependent on the response. By entering, you grant permission for your image to be used. There will be no monetary compensation if your work is published; you will receive full credit (and a lot of exposure).

2. Fill out the form

The form can be found here, once the event is open, and includes:

• Your name, EXACTLY as you want it to appear, for example: Johanna Smith
• Place & country, for example: Paris, France, or Detroit, Michigan, USA.
• The title of your image in this format:
  Name Surname, Title. Process.
  For example: Jo Smith,  Rainbow. Tri-colour Cyanotype. 
• Your bio. Write in a personal style using your first name, 90-120 words. Write about yourself and bring out one or two interesting facts, rather than a list of education and exhibitions. Let the reader get to know you a little. We may edit it.
• A description of how you introduced colour in your process. The process used, and any interesting details. Use clear language for those new to the technique. Include details if, for example, it’s hand-colored or printed on special paper. 90-120 words is a good length. Give tips and tricks or a how-to description. The idea is that others should get inspired to try.
• Include social media links such as Facebook, Instagram, BlueSky (or wherever you are active) and/or website.
  Write Facebook link in this format: https://www.facebook.com/alternativephotography (see example)
  Write the Instagram link in this format: @alternativephotography_com (see example)
  Write BlueSky link in this format: @malinfabbri.bsky.social (see example)
• We may or may not publish the work on our social media channels. If you have included your “tags” we will try to include them and co-lab.
• When we receive your entry, you will get a confirmation email. If you do not receive a confirmation within a week, check with us at talk@alternativephotography.com, since it may have gotten stuck in the spam folder.

3. Send the image (only ONE). No NUDES, AI or “normal” photography…

The same rules apply for the book as for the website. Please note that:

• We don’t accept nude photography, even if they are done in a very tasteful manner. We don’t like too many rules, but the reason is that these may be used in education that includes educational institutions and cultures where nudity is offensive.
• We don’t accept AI-generated images. The image should be made by YOU and not a prompt and some algorithms. 
• We only accept alternative process photography (take a look at our definition).
• The print should be with the theme “Colour”.
• Scan the print, crop all white around the image and resize it large enough to print: 2500 pixels LONGEST SIDE is recommended. Name the file with your name “Name Surname.jpg”, for example “Joanne Smith.jpg”. If you can’t scan your image, here is an article on how to do this with your phone.

Now you are ready to send the image to us:

• Send images by email or via file transfer (one entry per person), such as:
  – WeTransfer, Dropbox (click here to get a free account with extra storage space or Google Drive. If using Google Drive, set permissions to “Anyone with the link can view”. Email the link or the file to talk@alternativephotography.com
  – Make sure you get a confirmation email within a week, since it may have ended up in our spam folder.

Our previous Calendar event

The 2027 calendar themed Colour

2026 – Colour: Encouraging artists to introduce colour into traditionally monochrome processes.
The calendar (2027 and undated) | The Pure Inspiration volume 2 book – coming soon | The gallery

2025 – Sir John Herschel: Celebrating the scientist whose discoveries shaped photographic chemistry.
The calendar (undated) | The journal (2026 and undated) | The gallery

2024 – Composites: A creative challenge combining two or more alternative processes.
The calendar (undated) | The journal (undated) | The Pure Inspiration volume 1 book | The gallery

2023 – Anna Atkins: Honouring the pioneer of botanical cyanotypes and early photographic experimentation.
The calendar (undated) | The journal (undated) | The planner (undated) | The gallery

We hope you take part in our Calendar & Journal & Book event!