SPARK Photo Festival Update

Update: November 25, 2020

We at the SPARK Photo Festival hope you all continue to keep well and we thank you for your patience on Festival news.

The SPARK Photo Festival Board of Directors has been monitoring the evolution of the pandemic and the impact on our community constantly and will continue to do so in the coming months. We are pleased to be moving forward to launch the Festival in April 2021. We have formulated a plan to host the Festival with modifications, as necessary, to adhere to public health guidelines and will modify further, as necessary, as the situation changes. We will work closely with Exhibitors and Venues to mount exhibits in the best, and safest, possible way for the photographers, host venues and Festival-goers.

Along with the exhibitors scheduled for 2020, we are open for new registrations for Open Call exhibits and have launched a new Themed Juried Exhibit called "Nourish: To Eat, To Drink, To Enjoy" for submissions from photographers from across Ontario. We certainly look forward to welcoming more talented photographers to showcase their work in Peterborough, Northumberland and the Kawarthas and carrying on the SPARK tradition this coming spring.

We sincerely appreciate the continued support of SPARK Photo Festival by our exhibitors and venues, generous sponsors, Patrons and donors and volunteers. We, along with the community, will eagerly look forward to a bigger and better Festival in 2021.

In the interim, we will continue our online Virtual Photo Exhibits on our Exhibits page, including our 2020 Motion Juried Exhibit. and social media programming to promote SPARK photographers, as well as some exciting plans for new programming this winter including more virtual exhibits and a pop-up art sale.

Please reach out with any questions you may have. We truly appreciate your patience during this challenging time, and we wish you all well.

Sincerely,
Jennifer MacKenzie, Festival Director, and the SPARK Board of Directors

Update October 14, 2020: The Juried Exhibit, Motion, winning images have been announced! View the video announcement by Board Member, Teresa Kaszuba, and see the winning images on our Social Media page: Click Here

The SPARK Photo Festival is a celebration of photography, and the artists, dreamers, innovators, storytellers, professionals and enthusiasts behind the camera lens. Every year, the month of April marks the arrival of numerous photographic exhibits and artists, in locations throughout the Northumberland, Peterborough, and the Kawartha Lakes regions. Technical workshops, lectures, talks, films, and other related photographic events and activities take place year-round as well as during the festival.

Pocket Guide 2020

2020 SPARK Catalogue

Open Call & Primary Exhibits

The backbone of the SPARK festival can be attributed to the depth and variety of the Open Call Exhibits by regional photographers working at every skill level - student, enthusiast, fine art, and professional. The festival features more than 35 open call exhibit venues. A list of the registration categories for open call exhibits can be found below.

SPARK organized exhibits are called primary exhibits and these exhibits include the highly competitive Juried Exhibit contest, which, based on a theme, features 25 of the best submissions from across the Province of Ontario as selected by a panel of expert judges.

For 2021, expect a few surprises as SPARK continues to evolve as a festival.

It is SPARK's inclusiveness and our celebration of the community of photographers that sets SPARK apart as a festival. That you will find photography in places where you least expect to, part of SPARK's charm.

Open Call Exhibit Categories

  • Individual
  • Small Group
  • Group
  • Community Organization
  • Student Individual
  • Student Group
  • Featured (Individual, Small Group or Group)

View the 2020 Exhibits

Juried Exhibit

Click the How to Submit button below for information and entry form.
Open to all residents of the Province of Ontario.

The 2020 Theme was Motion.
Best in Show was awarded to Leap Year by Patricia. M. Calder
Visit our Juried page to see the prize winners and our Exhibits page to view the Virtual Exhibit.

2020 Motion Best in Show: Leap Year by Patricia M. Calder

 

 

Open Call Registration

Register your exhibit by February 8, 2021.

For registration assistance/questions please email info@sparkphotofestival.org

Open Call Registration for 2021 is open!
We have a new, streamlined process in place. Click the red button below for all of the info.

Juried Submissions

Enter now for the 2021 Themed Juried Exhibit.
Entries are being accepted until February 8, 2021.

Juried Exhibit 2021 Theme
Nourish: To Eat, To Drink, To Enjoy

Submit your images now!

Mobile-Friendly Pocket Guide

Pocket Guide 2020

New for 2021: We'll have a mobile-friendly, downloadable Pocket Guide with Maps and Catalogue so you can take the SPARK Photo Festival 2021 with you on-the-go. Check this page at the end of March to download your guide.

2020 SPARK Catalogue