The Pupil Sphere is excited to announce the opening of submissions for their annual Graduate Showcase. Submissions will be open from the 1st of April for 2021 graduates, from both UK and international BA and MA photography courses. Submissions will close on Sunday 31st May 2021.

Championing graduate photography, The Pupil Sphere is an international photography network that advocates for early career artists. The Pupil Sphere supports a wider photography community through a range of accessible and engaging content, such as interviews and exhibitions, critiques and book shop.

Each year the Graduate Showcase highlights some of the best work produced by recent graduates from around the world. It aims to offer a reflection of photographic trends and ensure that this work has a dedicated place to be seen - especially within the mass of online imagery. The work becomes part of an online exhibition, as well as a zine publication, both of which are curated by the team in order to create an immersive collaboration of work which is reflective of the year and the submissions received.

As part of the Graduate Showcase, 10 submissions will be chosen to be featured in our ‘Spotlight Artists’. This is a series of feature interviews to highlight exceptional work further. It will be chosen by both the Pupil Sphere team and a panel of industry professionals. The panel will include, Amelia Lonsdale, Director of The Pupil Sphere, Angela Sheard, Associate Curator and Programme Coordinator at Impressions Gallery, Rocco Venezia, Curator and Producer at PHMuseum, Ana Blumenkron, artist and stills photographer for Netflix and Joe Torr, co-founder and publisher at Village bookshop and gallery.

The Pupil Sphere is also proud to announce that the Graduate Showcase 2021 is being supported by Tripp Works and Village. Tripp Works is a recently set up photo lab based in Manchester that offers high quality, affordable printing and processing for photographers. Every successful submission chosen will receive a discount voucher which can be used on printing and processing at the lab. On top of this, artists have the chance the amazing opportunity of being selected by Village for a zine published and sold internationally by Village themselves.

Please submit before midnight (GMT) on Sunday 31st May 2021.

Submissions must contain: 

•   Maximum 10 images, sized to 300dpi and at least 1200 pixels on the longest edge. 

•   Title and 300-word minimum artist and project statement.

•   Details of the university attended, course, and county. 

•   Links to your website and/or social media.

The Pupil Sphere is committed to making submissions accessible to everyone. If you have any problems with writing or are having technical difficulties, please get in touch with us and we can try and help you.

Photographs must be the photographer’s own or, they must clearly state where archival/secondary imagery has been used and have permission to do so. Photographers will be credited but not compensated. Copyright of images submitted will be still owned by the photographer however, ‘The Pupil Sphere’ will have the right to use the images and text on our website, social media and within the printed zine. The Pupil Sphere will use your text in the submission and have the right to make any grammatical changes. Photographers can request a copy of any changes before it is published.