The Exposure Photography Festival is a month-long
celebration of photography across Alberta.
HELD ANNUALLY IN FEBRUARY
We champion powerful contemporary work, create space for emerging voices, and invite everyone to explore the many ways images can tell stories through juried open-call competitions, curated exhibitions, and a diverse array of partner programming.
SAVE THE DATE
Exhibition & Festival Opening: Thursday, February 5, 2026
Hosted in partnership with Contemporary Calgary as part of their Free First Thursdays event series.
Lana Collins, Exposure Emerging Photographer of the Year, 2025, presents All My Sisters. A love letter to sisterhood in all its forms: the chosen, the inherited, the accidental, and the fleeting.
The North West Showcase places a spotlight on emerging photographic talent across Alberta, BC, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Yukon, and the Northwest Territories. Featuring 12 artists, juried by Rachel Wine.
The International Open Call celebrates diverse points of view from around the world. Juried by Mariama Attah, 12 artists remind us of photography’s capacity to close the gap between self and others.
Image courtesy of Alec Soth
EVENT SPOTLIGHT
How to Begin…Again
Artist Talk by Alec Soth
Presented by The Camera Store
We’re thrilled to announce that Alec Soth will be making his way to Calgary for an artist talk on Saturday, February 28th at the Central Library. Join us as Soth discusses his origins as an artist, the evolution of his practice, and celebrated projects like “Sleeping by the Mississippi” and his latest book, “Advice for Young Artists.”
Image by Louie Villanueva-Eyre | Contemporary Calgary
HEADQUARTERED AT CONTEMPORARY CALGARY
Since 2020, Contemporary Calgary has hosted our open-call exhibitions: the International Open Call and North West Showcase, as well as a solo exhibition featuring the previous festival’s Emerging Photographer of the Year.
Admission to the Exposure exhibitions is free and open to the public during regular gallery hours.