CPB International Open Call – Edition 2 opens in Chennai on 15th Mar 2026 at VR Chennai and on 19th Mar 2026 at Avtar Foundation for the Arts.
Chennai Photo Biennale Foundation is back with its second edition of its international open call showcase powered by SIGMA and supported by VR Chennai and the Avtar Foundation for the Arts. Selected work reviewed by an esteemed international jury panel is being presented as two public exhibitions opening on:
15 March 2026, 12 pm at VR Chennai
19 March 2026, 5pm at Avtar Foundation for the Arts, MRC Nagar, Chennai The exhibitions are free and open to all and will remain open till 5th April 2026.
Key highlights of Edition 2 – CPB International Open Call
- Over 9400 photographs submitted across single image and photo stories categories
- Submissions from across 37 countries
- Over 100 photographers selected for the showcase
About the CPB International Photography Open Call
The CPB International Photography Open Call represents an opportunity for photographers and visual artists working with the medium of photography to present their creative vision and talent to public audiences in the coastal city of Chennai in South India. The open call initiated by the CPB Foundation as part of its previous Biennale edition is now cemented as an annual feature in the foundation’s programs offering an opportunity to present work across public spaces in Chennai to be viewed by more than 50,000 visitors.
Open to photographers and artists of any age from anywhere in the world, photographic work from any niche can be submitted to the open call that is reviewed by an international jury of curators, artists, and editors, providing participants with unparalleled visibility and global exposure. An open theme allows for work ranging from nature, portraits, documentary, still life, landscape photography and more to be submitted to the open call. Submissions are restricted to photographic or lens-based work, but can include combinations with other art forms such as performance, painting, audio, sculpture, literature and text.
“Photography and its presentation as art in accessible forms has always been at the heart of the Chennai Photo Biennale Foundation. Exhibitions across public spaces such as parks, beaches, libraries, heritage sites, train stations, malls, and galleries invite wider audiences to encounter photographic art, while fostering awareness of socio-cultural, environmental, and regional stories through creative expression.
– Varun Gupta, Founding Director, CPB Foundation.
“In recent years, Sigma has been expanding its role beyond that of a camera and lens manufacturer to actively support photography as an art form. Through initiatives such as its support for KG+ and the establishment of the Sigma Foundation in 2025, the company has been working closely with artists and supporting platforms that nurture emerging talent and encourage deeper engagement with photographic practice.
Guided by the belief that technology should serve the artist, Sigma’s growing involvement with festivals, publications, and artist-led initiatives reflects its commitment to fostering a vibrant global photography community. In this context, supporting the Chennai Photo Biennale’s International Open Call felt like a natural extension of this vision, aligning with Sigma’s continued efforts to champion artistic dialogue and provide meaningful platforms for photographers.”
Mr Seshan A, SIGMA
Esteemed Jury for the second edition of the CPB international Open Call Submitted entries are being reviewed and selected by an incredible and diverse panel of jury members including:
Photo artist, Bharat Sikka (India)
Belfast Photo Founder, Michael Weir (UK)
Photographer & mentor, Karthik Rajagopal (India)
Photographer and mentor, APF, Vineet Vohra (india) Photographer and filmmaker, Avani Rai (India) Visual artist, Ashfika Rahman (Bangladesh)
Visual artist, Curator & Founder of JOJO Editions, Kaamna Patel (india)
Director of Education, International Centre of Photography, Per Gylfe (USA)
More details of the jury members can be found linked here. All Open Call details here.
Exhibiting Photo Artists
| Photo Series Artist List – exhibiting at Avtar Foundation for the Arts, Chennai | City | Country |
| Anouchka Renaud ECK | Bagnolet KA | India |
| Swastik Pal | Kanjialpara | India |
| Jannan Kazmi | Srinagar | India |
| Andrea Salvucci | Macerata MC | Italy |
| John Trotter | Brooklyn, NY | USA |
| Shane Hynan | Carbury | Ireland |
| Jyoti Shrestha | Kathmandu | Nepal |
| Matteo Trevisan | Gradisca d’Isonzo | Italy |
| Oskar Alvarado | Barcelona | Spain |
| Matjaz Tancic | Ljubljana | Slovenia |
| Fiorella Baldisserri | Bologna | Italy |
| Pinki Sanyal | Kolkata | India |
| Eduardo Ortiz | Valparaiso | Chile |
| Sai Suren Kimidi | Visakhapatnam | India |
| David Lemort | Saint Pierre | Reunion |
| Barkat Mehra | Etchingham | UK |
| Ranita Roy | Howrah WB | India |
| Amit Machamasi | Bhaktapur | Nepal |
| Anthony Bourgeault | Montreal | Canada |
| Carolina Arantes Silva Moreira | Paris | France |
| Sugandha Garg | Mumbai | India |
| Ketan Purohit | Jodhpur | India |
| Annemarie Deckers | Agia Paraskevi | Greece |
| Stefanie Kulisch | Berlin | Germany |
| Peter Brandt | Cape Town | South Africa |
| Arka Sinha | Kolkata | India |
| Shubhadeep Mukherjee | Gurgaon | India |
| Stephanie Lee | 6 Parry Walk | Singapore |
| Leah Gordon | London | UK |
| Gautam Mehta | Panchkula HR | India |
| Yash Sharma | Hyderabad TG | India |
| Mayya Kelova | Levallois – Perret | France |
| Single Image Artist List – Exhibiting at VR Chennai | City | Country |
| Aditya Raghunathan | Delhi | India |
| Aditya Sharma | Bhopal MP | India |
| Agha Siraj | Jacobabad Sindh | Pakistan |
| Akriti Sondhi | New Delhi | India |
| Amogh Thakur | Mumbai | India |
| Andrea Salvucci | Macerata MC | Italy |
| Anjan Das | Kolkata | India |
| Ankit Bakade | Chandrapur MH | India |
| Anuj Rawla | New Delhi | India |
| Anuska Chatterjee | Howrah WB | India |
| Aquib Ali Ansari | Jaipur | India |
| Arka Roy | Midnapore WB | India |
| Arthi Duraisamy | Kumbakonam | India |
| Arunabh Bhattacharjee | Ponda GA | India |
| Arvind Senji | Chennai | India |
| Balaji Gangadharan | Chennai TN | India |
| Balaji Natarajan | Chennai | India |
| Bettina Brunswig | Hamburg | Germany |
| Bithal Dattatreya | Chennai | India |
| Chaula Doshi | Ahmedabad | India |
| Christopher Jebadurai | Chennai | India |
| Debarshi Mukherjee | Kolkata | India |
| Deepak Kumbhar | Kolhapur | India |
| Dheemaan Garg | Guwahati AS | India |
| Dipak G | Avadi | India |
| Eli Mastaine | Imphal West MN | India |
| Fahim Sayed | Mumbai | India |
| Farah Sayyed | Merawoods | Singapore |
| Ganesh Vanare | Mumbai | India |
| Hayathi | Visakhapatnam AP | India |
| Indranil Basu Mallick | Pune MH | India |
| Jason Au | Sai Ying Pun | India |
| Joy Srivastava | Pondicherry | India |
| Komal Tarte | Pune | India |
| Manju Mohan | Bangalore KA | India |
| Mayukh Das | Kolkata | India |
| Mohamed Zunaid | Coimbatore | India |
| Mriganka Kalita | Dubai DU | UAE |
| Muhammed Shafi PP | Wayanad | India |
| Muralikrishnan Rajkumar | Puducherry PY | India |
| Nabyl Gasim | Maldives | |
| Pinu Rahman | Dhaka | Bangladesh |
| Poonam Goenka | Gurgao HR | India |
| Raghav Sethi | Thane | India |
| Rajeev Anand | Mumbai | India |
| Rajesh Satankar | Mumbai | India |
| Rajkumar Koul | Mohali | India |
| Rakesh Jagtiani | New Delhi | India |
| Sagnik Chatterjee | Rijswijk | Netherlands |
| Sahil Jagasia | Mumbai MH | India |
| Samya Ghatak | Kolkata WB | India |
| Sanjeev Kumar | Bhadohi UP | India |
| Santanu Patra | Kanchrapara | India |
| Santosh S | Chennai TN | India |
| Shail Joshi | New York | USA |
| Shajin Nambiar | Bengaluru | India |
| Sophia Wong | Los Angeles CA | USA |
| Soumalya Dandapat | Kolkata WB | India |
| Soumayan Biswas | Hooghly | India |
| Souptik Majila | Kolkata WB | India |
| Souvik Roy | Mumbai MH | India |
| Sudeep Lal | New Delhi | India |
| Sudheer | Pattambi KL | India |
| Sundarkrishnan Pitchumani | Padur | India |
| Surajit Dutta | Kolkata WB | India |
| Swastik Mohanty | Bhubaneswar OR | India |
| Tarun Jindal | Ghaziabad | India |
| Thiruchitrambalam M | Chennai TN | India |
| Uday Narayanan | Noida | India |
| Uttara Joshi | Mumbai MH | India |
| Vedant Kulkarni | Mumbai MH | India |
| Vinay Panjwani | Ahmedabad | India |
| Vinit Gupta | New Delhi | India |
| Vishal Naveen | Chennai | India |
| Vivek Maran | Chennai | India |
| Vivek Mohan | Mumbai MH | India |
| Yashaswi Dugar | Kolkata | India |
| Yousuf Sarfaraz | Jamshedpur | India |
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