Call for Entries | Illuminance

Buddy Holly Center
1801 Crickets Avenue

Our Call for Entry for Illuminance 2026 is officially open now through February 13, 2026.

This biennial juried photography exhibition invites artists to submit work responding to the 2026 theme. Selected works will be featured in the exhibition, offering a powerful exploration of transition, resilience, and renewal through the photographic lens.

A national competitive exhibition featuring photographic work. The Fine Arts Program of the Buddy Holly Center is committed to the promotion of contemporary visual arts and educational programs.

Theme: Darkness After Light

This exhibit explores the way light transitions into darkness and how shadows shape emotion from mystery and tension to calm and quiet serenity. Darkness invites viewers to look deeper and use their imagination to complete the story, highlighting the power that follows the light. All capture methods and processes are welcome.

Eligibility:

Illuminance is open to all artists using photographic processes as their media. Please do not submit work that has been shown in a previous Illuminance exhibition.

Awards:

Best of show $750

First Place $500

Second Place $300

Third Place $200

Calendar:

February 13, 2026: Submissions and entry fee due

March 27, 2026: Notification of accepted works

May 15, 2026: Accepted works must be delivered

May 29, 2026: Opening reception, presentation of awards, and gallery talk with juror Steve Goff.

July 26, 2026: Show closes

Entry Fees:

One to three works: $30 (non-refundable)

Each additional work: $5 (non-refundable)

Artists are not limited in the number of entries they may submit. Credit card payments will be processed by phone. Call 806-775-3562, 10 am to 5 pm CST, Tues-Sat. Checks may be submitted via regular mail. Receipts will be scanned and emailed to entrants.

Submitting work:

Email digital images to:

[email protected] with an inventory list that includes your name, mailing address, and phone number as well as title, media, and printed dimensions of each entry. Please save in JPG format, 300dpi, no larger than 750 pixels/5 inches in any direction.

Reproduction

The Buddy Holly Center retains the right to reproduce artwork for publicity purposes, including print and online (website, Facebook, etc.). Submission of entry to this exhibition shall indicate an agreement on the part of the artist to these conditions.

Shipping

Accepted work should be sent ready to hang, packed in sturdy, reusable containers (no Styrofoam peanuts, please). Work will be insured by the Buddy Holly Center during the exhibition, but artists are responsible for shipping insurance. Arrangements for shipping to and from the Buddy Holly Center are the responsibility of the artist.

Juror: Steve Goff

Steve Goff, a retired Professor and former Program Head of Photography, taught at Odessa College since 1984. He received his B.F.A., and M.F.A., from Ohio University and taught at the Maine Photographic Workshops, Lakeland Community College, and Cuyahoga Community College, as well as Cleveland State University, before moving to Texas.

He has been awarded the Aid to Individual Artists Fellowship from the Ohio Arts Council and the Fellowship Award in Photography from the Mid-America Arts Alliance/National Endowment for the Arts, and represented the Fellowship winners at Mois de la Photo in Paris, France. He has an extensive exhibition record and teaches workshops around the state and region. He recently received the 2025 Honored Educator Award from the Society for Photographic Education South Central Region. Steve serves on the Board of Odessa Arts and is currently President of the Texas Photographic Society.

 

https://ci.lubbock.tx.us/departments/buddy-holly-center
https://www.facebook.com/BuddyHollyCenter