- African Visual Storyteller
- Posts
- African Photographers submit work to considered for an exhibition!
African Photographers submit work to considered for an exhibition!
Deadline: 1 May 2026. In-Person Exhibition opportunity. Submit photography that showcases youth in your country leading!
Unpublished Africa
April 24, 2026
Unpublished Africa invites African photographers to submit their work for our upcoming 2025 Africa Day exhibition.
How We Lead looks at how young Africans take part in shaping their worlds through everyday action.
Leadership here is not about titles or formal roles. It is about participation. It is about who is involved, who makes decisions, who creates, and who carries responsibility in their community, even in small and often unseen ways.
Across many African contexts, young people are already active within the industries and in their communities. They organise, document, build, and influence. This exhibition is interested in those moments. Not the idea of leadership in the future, but what it looks like now in practice.
As a photographer, think about where participation is visible.
We invite you to respond to the question:
What does leadership look like in your context?
Your work may look at:
How young people take initiative within their environments
The ways they contribute to creative, cultural, or community spaces
How decisions are made, formally or informally
Moments of responsibility, whether individual or shared
How groups organise themselves to solve problems or create opportunities
What leadership looks like when there is no clear structure or support
This exhibition focuses on youth and leadership. It asks how young people are already shaping systems, even when those systems are incomplete.
Submission Guidelines:
Image Quantity: Submit 3-5 images. These may be a single story or a short series.
Caption: Include a brief caption for each image explaining what we are seeing and why it matters. When submitting, please label your captions as follows:
Artist Name, Nationality, Title, YearArtist Statement: A short statement about your photographic practice and the thinking behind the work you are submitting. (200 words)
Bio: Include a bio to share about yourself. (100 words)
Headshot: Please include a clear headshot.
Please note: We do not publish images with children’s faces, and any images that show peoples’ faces will need an accompanying model release.
Selection Approach
We are not only looking for strong images, but for clarity of thought. Submissions will be considered based on:
How well the work engages with the idea of leadership
The strength of the story or perspective being presented
Intentionality behind the work
Selected photographers will be part of a group exhibition, engaging an audience of students, academics, policymakers, and industry practitioners.
The exhibition forms part of a broader conversation on youth, governance, and leadership in Africa, with a focus on how these ideas are practiced, not just discussed.
Deadline: 1 May 2026
Selected photographers will be invited to exhibit their work as part of the Africa Day programme.
About Unpublished Africa
Unpublished Africa works to create access, visibility, and professional pathways for African visual storytellers. Through exhibitions, publishing, and programmes, we support photographers at key early stages of their careers and contribute to a stronger African creative economy.