Zone - 5th Collective Book Open Call

• Zone

• Deadline: January 31st, 2026

• Category: Visual Art

• Prize: Publication (Digital & Print) + Exposure

• Entry Fees: Yes

• REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE

Here we go again. We are excited to announce the Open Call for ZONE’s fifth collective book. By now, many of you already know how this process unfolds—but if you’re new here, let us take a moment to explain.

At the core of ZONE is a fascination with the conversations that arise when images from entirely different origins begin to coexist. We are interested in what happens when photographs, artworks, or visual fragments—created in isolation, across geographies and contexts—start to behave like parts of a larger, living organism. When placed together, images speak differently. They reveal things about themselves, and about each other, that could not exist alone. We begin with the widest possible field of images and, through careful listening and sequencing, uncover an additional layer of meaning that belongs to the collective whole. This is why we do not impose a fixed theme: the meaning emerges from the encounter itself.

Our collective books function less like traditional, curated magazine issues and more like artist books. Each edition is conceived as a distinct object, with its own logic, scale, materials, and structure. No two books are the same. And yet, certain threads run through them all—shared sensibilities, recurring questions, and a commitment to visual dialogue. Across our first four publications, we have brought together the work of 498 artists from around the world, forming an ever-expanding network of voices and perspectives.

The selection process is guided exclusively by the images. We are not concerned with résumés, past achievements, institutional recognition, or professional status. The work must stand on its own. While we are especially attentive to giving visibility to lesser-known artists, no preference is given unless the images genuinely contribute to the rhythm and flow of the book as a whole.

We often find ourselves drawn to artists who are not constrained by the expectations of their established practice—those who work from curiosity, intuition, and a willingness to question their own habits of seeing. It is this openness, this desire to explore unfamiliar ground, that continually shapes the spirit of ZONE.