We invite photographers to exhibit at the first European photography month in Tokyo: SEEEU 2025. The festival brings the diverse European talent to the cityscape of Tokyo, fosters new professional and creative opportunities for European and Japanese artists. Exhibitions are held in public spaces of Tokyo, exploring new forms of display. The exhibitions are followed by networking events, panel talks, Photojournalism Awards, art auction for Ukraine, photowalks and portfolio reviews.

Submission deadline is July 11th, 23:59 CET.

Details

Dates: The festival is set from October 23rd to November 23rd, 2025.

Spaces: Exhibitions are held in public spaces of Tokyo: construction site walls (which
are squeaky-clean), public venues, cafés and galleries, limited-edition drink coasters,
buildings under reconstruction, etc.

Event Week: Opening event will take place on October 23rd. Other events, including
Photojournalism Awards, panel talks, Art Auction for Ukraine, networking meetings will
be held from October 23rd to 29th.

Why to Participate

Public exposure: With sooo many photo awards and festival, there are actually only a
few prominent photography festivals in Tokyo, showcasing international talent. Our
intention is to bring your artwork to the vibrant streets and public spaces of Tokyo. And
Tokyonites are great gourmets of fine visual arts!

Professional Opportunities: Our secondary intention is to bring your artwork to the
eyes and minds of Japanese photography community. Japanese curators and artists,
academic scholard and culture producers join the festival events and are delighted to
meet European talent.

Networking Events: We hope You join the Event Week (October 23-29) and meet
Japanese curators, photographers and producers, European diplomats that will become
your future gateway to Japan.

Japanese and Digital Media. Printed magazine, Dedicated online platform, heavy social
media presence, dedicated Japanese media events. Your artwork and story is on the
forefront.

Reward

Reward: Each selected photographer is awarded with 300 Eur brutto honorarium.

Event Week Reward. If selected photographer joins the Event Week (October 23-29 in
Tokyo), additional 300 Eur brutto honorarium is added.

Travel and accommodation: Travel and accommodation is not covered by the
organizer. However, organizers work closely with European embassies and cultural
institutes in Japan. And after selection of photographers in June, organizer will
approach Embassies and cultural institutes to seek support for photographer’s travel
and accommodation.

Individual Effort: We encourage photographers to apply for mobility grants to national
and international foundations individually. Organizer can issue a Letter of Invitation to
selected photographers.

Who Can Apply

Shortly: every decent photographer.

・Open Call submission is free of charge.

・Renowned photographers and emerging talents from around the world are invited to
participate.

・Photographer does not have to be a EU citizen.

・Photographer has to be an adult and able to travel to Japan.

・A collective can also participate.

・Russian citizens are not eligible to apply.

Photography Works

Shortly: strong photo series; contemporary, expanded, journalistic, other.

・Photographers submit a set of 6-30 images that together form a cohesive series - a
Photo Series.

・The Photo Series should be produced no more than 5 years ago.

・Photographer can submit more than one Photo Series through separate application.

・The Photo Series has to follow the festival’s theme.

・The Photo Series and images can be new or existing and previously exhibited.

・Subject of the Photo Series is up to applicants: may it be portrait, landscape, still life,
abstract, or other format, it is eligible as long as it corresponds to the theme of the
festival.

・The Photo Series will be displayed in public, thus we ask to be conscious about their
submissions and to avoid disturbing, gore, erotic or otherwise not-publicly suitable
imagery; if in doubt - feel free to contact us to consult.

・Submitted and selected works will be used for publicity purposes of the festival.

・If selected, photographers are asked to submit print-quality digital files (through safe
channels, of course) to organizer. The photographs will be printed in Japan and
destroyed after exhibition.

Theme: Reframing Realities

Shortly: abstractly about Europe.

Reframing Realities explores the shifting viewpoints that define and redraw
contemporary Europe. From vibrant European communities to fluid identities in a
hyper-mediated digital age, the theme examines how realities—objective, personal,
ecological, aesthetic—are continuously constructed, erased, and reimagined. As
Europe navigates armed conflict, migration flows, and the pressures of the
Anthropocene, photographers respond with images that blur the line between
documentation and invention. In an era of self-curation, unrecognizable retouching and
synthetic beauty, and vanishing biodiversity, this year’s theme asks: where do the edges
lie—and who has the power to redraw them?

Best Series Award

Shortly: diplomatic fame, some money, decided by curators and partners.

Each exhibited Photo Series is eligible to receive award. Award is presented during the
Opening Ceremony. It is decided by festival curators and partners. The prize pool to be
announced in September.

Timeline

9 June 2025: Open Call starts.

11 July 2025: Open Call closed.

Mid July 2025: Selected photographers announced.

September 2025: Map of exhibitions announced.

Exhibition Spaces

European Gift to Tokyo: Exhibitions are free and presented in public spaces:
construction site walls (which are sparkling-clean in Japan), train and subway stations,
parks, galleries and cafes, embassies and cultural centers.

Accidental Encounter with Photography: SEEEU brings photography to new formats
and new places, so we ask artists to trust our team of curators and producers to select
new formats.

Walkable Map of Exhibitions: This will form a walkable map of European creativity in
Tokyo.

New Formats: Part of exhibitions will be in a wildly new formats: on green fences, in a
car parked publicly, on drink coasters or chopstick rests, etc. Curators will consult
photographers.

SEEEU - New Addition to Vibrant Tokyo

Shortly: new kid on the block.

First-ever European Photography Month in Japan. Presenting world-famous and
contemporary European photographers in Tokyo public spaces. More than 200 artworks
by 10 authors will be presented to Japanese audiences.

European photography is relatively unknown to Japan: Europe offers exquisite variety of
creative force. Likewise, Japanese photographic community seeks for more connection
with the world. The festival will foster connections of Europe and Japanese art
communities, and bring unique content to Japanese audiences.

Exhibitions and events are free and in public spaces, bringing art to people: on
construction site walls, in subway and train stations, in Embassies and culture institutes,
cafes and galleries.

Art Auction for Ukraine

Photographers are invited to submit their artwork to Art Auction for Ukraine. Total of 30
artworks of participating photographers will be printed as Giclée prints, framed and
auctioned. All profits will go to Japanese charity organization that works with Ukrainian
refugees. You can opt out at the bottom of the form.

Organizer, Partners

Organizer: KOI NIPPON - Japan-Lithuania based creative production studio.

Partners: The Darkroom Rumour, Eye of Photography, IMA

Funded by: Arts Council Tokyo, EU Delegation to Japan.

 

www.seeeu.jp