young photographer award
The Finnish Darkroom Association and the Finnish Museum of Photography are organising a photography competition for young people in the spring of 2026. This is the second time the competition is being organised, and it is open to all photographers aged 16–21 (born 2005–2010) who live in Finland. To participate in the competition, applicants must submit a short text (maximum length half an A4 page) describing their interest in photography along with ten to twelve photographs, which may be created using either analog or digital cameras.
About the Festival
The Helsinki Analog Festival (HAF) continues the tradition of the Helsinki Darkroom Festival, held in 2022 and organized by Suomen Pimiötaiteilijat ry in collaboration with the Finnish Museum of Photography. In 2026, the festival expands beyond photography to include moving image and book arts. HAF celebrates analog and craft-based art, emphasizing materiality, embodiment, and sustainable collaboration. The festival theme in 2026 is BODY, reflecting HAF’s commitment to embodied practices and highlighting the importance of physical presence in a world increasingly dominated by virtual experiences.
200 Years of Photography
The festival celebrates 200 years of photography: the first surviving photograph was created in 1826, when Nicéphore Niépce successfully produced a permanent image using the heliography process on a bitumen-coated plate. This moment is considered the birth of photography. In Finland, the history of photography began in 1842, when district physician Henrik Cajander photographed the Nobel House in Turku in November. This marked the beginning of Finnish photographic practice, which has since grown into a significant part of the national cultural heritage and the international field of visual arts. The Young Photographer Award aims to showcase young people’s contemporary perspectives on photography and its significance in their lives.