SPARK Photo Festival 2020 Update

The Board has determined the SPARK Photo Festival will be postponed until Fall 2020. There is too much uncertainty about the immediate future of our community and our country to attempt to hold the Festival this April. We will determine the exact dates in the coming months.

As an organization that functions on donations, sponsors and municipal funding we are extremely conscientious of utilizing the funds judiciously and will do our utmost to execute the SPARK Photo Festival as planned at a later date.

Considerable resources have been invested in preparation for the Festival by Exhibitors and our Volunteers and we are determined to make our event better than ever later in the year. The community will be ready to celebrate by then, we expect. We’ll assist exhibitors in finding new venues for the new dates should planned venues not be available.

We also have plans for online and virtual activities to continue to bring SPARK to the public, and plans to support our photographers and their art while we wait for the live Festival this fall. Do tune in to our social media channels (links below) and keep your eyes open for news about SPARK activities.

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

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 2020, 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

The theme of the 2020 Juried Exhibit is Motion.

Juried Submissions for 2020 is closed.

2019 Juried Theme "Family Life" Best in Show: Unwavering Sisterhood by Sarah Cummings

 

 

Open Call Registration

Open Call Registration for 2020 is closed.

Did you miss out on registering this year? Sign up for our newsletter to make sure you get in on SPARK 2021.

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

Open Call Registration for 2020 is closed.

Juried Submissions

Juried Submission for 2020 is closed.

Juried Submission for 2020 is closed.

Mobile-Friendly Pocket Guide

New for 2020: We'll have a mobile-friendly, downloadable Pocket Guide so you can take the SPARK Photo Festival 2020 with you on-the-go. Check this page at the end of March to download your guide.