Holding Ground: On Gathering

The New Orleans Photo Alliance invites photographers to explore gathering as both a hidden influence and a beacon of resilience.

The New Orleans Photo Alliance invites photographers to explore gathering as both a hidden influence and a beacon of resilience.

From elite networks wielding unchecked global power to community demonstrations of joy and protest — including Mardi Gras here in our own city — we seek images that reflect how communities, large and small, convene in an uncertain world.

We welcome abstract or expansive interpretations of gathering: from data collection by technology companies, to intentional arrangements for still life, to collective order in nature. Submissions may reflect contemporary themes, unity, or collective presence.

About the Curator:

Daniella Zalcman is a Vietnamese-American documentary photographer based in New Orleans. She is a Professor of Practice at Tulane University and the founder of Women Photograph, a nonprofit working to elevate the voices of women and nonbinary visual journalists. Her visual work tends to focus on the legacies of western colonization, from the rise of homophobia in Uganda to the coercive assimilation of Indigenous children in North America. 

Submission Fee (for Members) : $25
Submission Fee (for Non-Members) : $35
Submission Fee + Basic NOPA Membership: $60
Submission Fee + Silver NOPA Membership (Includes online portfolio listing): $85

https://neworleansphotoalliance.org/membership/
 
Maximum pieces per entry is 5. Files must be in JPEG or JPG, under 5MB with a minimum of 1200 pixels on the longest side so that photographs are large enough to be viewed properly by the juror and used in promotion if selected. 

Holding Ground: On Gathering will open on May 10, 2026 and remain on view through June 10, 2026.

Application Deadline: April 25, 2026.

Artists Notified of Acceptance: April 30, 2026.

All work must be delivered to the New Orleans Photo Alliance framed and ready to hang no later than May 7, 2026.

Submissions are open to all photographers; NOPA membership not required; all ages accepted. 

Works submitted must be legal and the artist assumes responsibility for having the legal right to exhibit and sell the images. Fine arts nudes and implied nude works are acceptable. This exhibition will include work that has been digitally manipulated (PhotoShop). AI generated photos are not permitted for submission.

Photographers are responsible for all shipping fees. Gallery receives 40 percent and the artist receives 60 percent of the retail price of works sold.

NOTES FOR SELECTED ARTISTS

Shipping: 

Return Label Required
**Please be sure to ship to this mailbox service. Packages are not guaranteed at our gallery address**

New Orleans Photo Alliance
3436 Magazine Street #134
New Orleans, LA 70115

Drop Off:
New Orleans Photo Alliance
7800 Oak St 
New Orleans, LA 70118